Greetings from Manta Bay!
by Bluelighthouse
Summary: Zootopia is a city where anyone can be anything right? As it turns out some folks choose to be bullies. After the betrayal at the Junior Ranger Scout meeting Nick is feeling pretty down. That all changes however after young Nick visits the seaside city of Manta Bay. Its gonna be ok Nick, you have friends here.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome everyone to a new kind of Holiday special story. Some of you may recognize this first chapter from my other work _Extras._ That story is like a proving ground, allowing me to test out ideas and wow did a lot of people like this silly idea. So now its going to have its own little story with several more chapters coming out throughout the year during certain seasons. Hope you all enjoy this first installment from Halloween. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia. Wish I did...I mean I have the Blu-ray but that's as far as it goes.**

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-Trick or Treat!-

During certain times of the year, Zootopia found ways of looking even more magnificent than it already was. During Christmas the streets would be filled with festive decorations, Easter brought bright colors that covered the streets, even summer had the city dressed up in colors that matched the season. Of course, Halloween was on a tier all its own. Most of the buildings would be illuminated in orange, yellow, or maybe even purple shades. Cobwebs would cover the entrances to buildings and spooky effects would pop out around the city as local businesses got into the season.

It truly was a sight to behold that was for sure.

However, this year young Nick Wilde would find himself in a strange new city. One he had never been to before but had heard of in the past. The city of Manta Bay was normally covered in clouds and a light drizzle. However, as if the weather knew what night it was the skies were somewhat clear. The occasional cloud would pass by the moon, only adding a rather spooky feel to the evening.

The city, though smaller than Zootopia, had its own appeals which made it actually a rather nice place to live. It housed many different forms of mammals and was considered to be a smaller version of the metropolis off to the east. Of course, that wasn't really the reason Nick found himself in the strange new neighborhood.

The poor tod had been through the ringer recently. The young fox had tried to join the local chapter of the junior ranger scouts. Nick had been so very excited to join. He had made several friends and felt like he was on the verge of being accepted by other young mammals like himself. Things, however, had gone terribly wrong. At what was supposed to be his initiation into the scouts turned into a nightmare for Nick. He had been betrayed by those he thought were his friends and in the end, was not only left out of the club but muzzled and kicked out. The whole experience had been dramatizing for Nick who had been so eagerly wanting to join the scouts in hopes of being accepted.

His mother was distraught at the whole event and had called the parents of the children responsible. In the end, she only got snide remarks, the most common one was "boys will be boys."

Mama Wilde, however, wouldn't take that sitting down. She fully intended to go to war for her little tod and was in the works of something big. In the meantime, she knew how important it was to improve her son's mood. With Halloween approaching fast and with most likely no friends to go trick or treating with at the moment Nick's mother had to work fast to rescue the holiday. She managed to reach out to her sister who lived in the city of Manta Bay. After explaining what had happened and how Nick needed to have a good holiday Nick's aunt jumped at the opportunity to take the young fox in and have him go trick or treating with his cousin.

When Nick found out he didn't really know what to think. He was still reeling from the events at the junior scouts and didn't know if he would be in the mood. A call from his Aunt though changed it all.

"Hello, Nicholas!" A sweet voice cooed over the telephone.

"Hi Aunty Jean," Nick said, trying his best to sound polite as his mother listened in from the kitchen.

"I hope you are still coming to Manta Bay for Halloween! Your cousin Emily is so excited! Plus a few of her friends want to meet you I am sure."

"I don't know Auntie Jean," Nick said hesitantly as he rubbed his feet into the carpet of their living room rug.

"What's not to know kitto? It's a night where you get free candy, stay up late, watch scary movies! I am kind of jealous to be honest because I have work in the morning. You, however, get to sleep in and watch cartoons with Emily before you return to the city."

"I mean it sounds kind of fun," Nick admitted. He was a smart kit. He knew exactly what was going on but at the same time, free candy was free candy. And he didn't want to be alone at the moment. "What is Emily going as?"

"You know your cousin the troublemaker. She wants to go as a bank robber…she could always use a partner in crime though."

"I um…I kind of want to go...no never mind..."

"What it is Nick? Come on its Halloween! You can be whatever you want!"

"I want to go as a ranger scout...I know it's dumb but it's a really cool uniform and maybe-"

"I can't wait to see you in uniform Nick! Bet you look so handsome!"

"Really I can go?" Nick asked, suddenly forgetting about all the hardships.

"Of course! I will pick you up from the train station in a few days. Then it's off to get free candy and eat it all before your mom realizes it!"

So it had been settled. A few days later Nick was exiting the train from Zootopia onto a platform in the middle of the Manta Bay train station. Though the station was nowhere near as large as the one in Zootopia it was still pretty cool. The station had been decorated for the holiday. Cobwebs covered the ceiling and several ghosts were attached to the ceiling fans which caused them to fly around the room.

"Nick!" Came an excited voice. "Over here, Nick."

The fox turned to see two foxes heading his way. One looked just like his mother. A warm smile on her face as her amber eyes looked at him with love. She dressed exactly as his mother would on her days off. A pair of jeans and a modest shirt, a pawbag slung over her shoulder.

Next to Nick's aunt stood his cousin. She was a few inches shorter than him and had somewhat darker fur but they shared the same bright green eyes. Emily was already dressed up for the most part. She had a pair of black leggings on and a black and white striped shirt.

"Cousin Nick!" Emily exclaimed as she scampered over and brought her cousin into a warm hug. "Oh, my gosh are you excited? Mom said we get to stay out super late tonight! I never get to stay out late."

"That is because I know what kind of troublemaker you are," Jean said as she caught up with her daughter. "The only reason you are staying out late is because I know Nick will keep you out of trouble." Jean then looked down at her nephew and opened her arms. While some foxes didn't show much in the way of physical affection it was obvious Jean and Emily were of a different breed. Nick trotted over to his aunt and closed his eyes as he was wrapped up in her arms. "Isn't that right my Ranger Scout?"

Nick had arrived in the late afternoon so there was plenty of daylight left to get a few errands done. Once they had gathered Nick's overnight things from the train the three foxes left the station and headed out into the city. Nick couldn't help but notice how few mammals really paid attention to them. He was somewhat surprised by it all. Normally in Zootopia mammals would check their wallets after they passed or maybe avoid them completely. Here though mammals didn't seem to pay them any mind. This gave Nick a bit of skip in his step.

Auntie Jean needed to pick a few things up in town before they headed back to their home. Nick and Emily didn't mind though and caught up. Both chatting about school, friends, and of course a strategy for the night on how to get the most candy. Nick listened to his cousin with some admiration as she explained which streets they should definitely hit because they would normally give out the best candy. He was even more impressed when she produced a map from her pocket. The paper covered in markings of which houses they just had to hit.

"Old mammal Johnson sets up this haunted graveyard in front of his house. If you get through it he normally has king-sized candy bars waiting!" Emily exclaimed.

"No way," Nick said in awe.

"I haven't braved it yet, but this year will be different," Emily said confidently. "You with me cuz?"

"You know it!" Nick said as he puffed out his chest.

The rest of the day was actually more fun than Nick had actually expected. When they arrived at his Aunt's place he was treated to all sorts of baked goods with a holiday twist. Jean constantly reminding Nick to tell his mother that he only ate vegetables and beetles while he was there. The young fox agreed which earned him a bowl of green jello with fake eyeballs on top.

At one point Nick asked about his Uncle Rob who seemed absent. Jean said that Rob was sadly working very late on a last minute project and would most likely miss seeing Nick that night. She did assure him though that he would get to see his uncle tomorrow since it was Saturday. There were even a few hints as to going to a local carnival if the two young foxes behaved that night and maybe shared some of their candy as uncle Rob had a bit of a sweet tooth.

Soon the sun began to set which cast the streets in a warm glow. This meant it was time for the trick or treaters to prepare for the night ahead. Emily donned a black cap and mask to finish off her costume. Jean had made her a special trick or treat bag that looked like an old fashion money bag. She then surprised Nick with a bag all his own. It was an olive green canvas bag that looked like it belonged out in the wilderness. An odd logo was embroidered on the bag. A pine tree in the middle of a shield. Jean explained it was the official logo of the parks department out in the forests. The rangers that patrolled those woods would have logos like that. Nick couldn't help but stare and smile at the bag. He remembered his manners and hurried over to his aunt, giving her a hug and many thanks. His mother would have been proud.

Once Nick had finally finished getting his own costume on it was time for them to head out. Jean explained that she would be staying at home and pawing out treats to the many trick or treaters. Nick was slightly confused. He began to wonder who would be watching them. He was then told that he and Emily would be on their own. Nick and Emily were both very excited. No chaperone meant no adult slowing them down. They would be able to get more candy now!

Jean told them that they did have a curfew though and if they were late she would take their candy. The threat was enough to have both young foxes standing at attention. Their curfew, however, was in the double digits which made Nick feel as if he was in a dream. No chaperone, late curfew, a candy map. This Halloween was going to be amazing!

Jean gave her two young foxes a kiss on the forehead each and then told them to hurry up and go get all the junk food they could carry. They didn't have to be told twice and within seconds were out the door into the refreshingly cool air of the evening.

"Where to first?" Nick asked.

"Next Street over! They always have the best stuff!" Emily explained as she hurried off down the sidewalk, Nick close on her tail.

The fox's darted down and off to the candy that awaited them.

Nick wasn't actually the only out of towner to be enjoying the festivities in the city of Manta Bay that night. Mammals would sometimes travel to the city with their children to enjoy what the different houses had to offer. It wasn't uncommon to see mammals from out of the area exploring all the city had to offer.

One such group had been given orders to be on their best behavior, not to take all the candy, and not to swarm any poor mammals pawing out candy. If any trouble came from any of the Hopps kits then Bonnie planned to tan their hides. With that, a whole swarm of bunnies was released into the streets. Most of them breaking off into smaller groups and heading in different directions, hoping to score more candy than their littermates.

A small gray doe dressed in a police officer uniform scanned the streets and watched as her siblings all split up.

"Judy…" Came a hesitant voice behind her.

The gray doe turned around to look at one of her siblings who had been left behind by the others. The doe was dressed in a pair of doctor's scrubs. Her multi-colored fur poking out here and there.

"Hey Sarah," Judy said happily. Judy knew that Sarah had most likely been left behind by her littermates. The poor doe was always seen as bad luck thanks to all the different colors on her fur. Tonight most of the Hopp's children didn't want to have bad luck in fear it would cost them candy so they had left Sarah in the dust. Judy, however, wasn't like her siblings. "Thanks for waiting for me! You ready to be my trick or treat partner?"

The smaller bunny's eyes suddenly lit up at the thought that Judy had been waiting for her and wanted her around.

"Really?"

"Of course," Judy said as she held out a paw which the smaller doe took happily. "Bet ya we can find some really good stuff."

With that, the two bunnies hurried down the street towards a house that had several skeletons in the front yard.

As the two bunnies arrived at the front of the house they noticed two canines standing at the front door. One of them was in a plain white sheet and was obviously a ghost. The other was wrapped up in bandages and toilet paper. Judy chuckled as she realized he was supposed to be a mummy.

Sarah however froze and hugged her sister around the waist nervously. The smaller doe wasn't exactly used to predators. Having spent most of her time on the farm or on her own. While Judy was fine with predators she didn't want to frighten her sister so they waited on the sidewalk for the two canines to finish their business.

The door to the house opened up and a cheetah opened the door. Judy winced realizing how much more terrified Sarah might become. To her surprise, however, Sarah actually took a step forward, her bright pink eyes on the large bowl of candy in the feline's paws.

"Trick or treat," said the canine dressed as a mummy as the one in the sheet remained silent. Judy tilted her head and watched as a multi-colored paw popped out of the cloth and made a series of signs. "He says trick or treat too ma'am."

"Oh aren't you two adorable!" The cheetah cooed as she scooped up some candy in her paws and placed it in each of the trick or treaters bags.

"Thank you!" The mummy exclaimed. Before turning though the ghost reached out and grabbed the mummy's arm. "What?"

The ghost made a series of paw signals.

"I can't understand you with that costume on!"

The ghost let out a sigh and suddenly lifted the sheet up. Judy recognized the canine as a painted dog. His fur, however, was almost blonde compared to the other wild dogs she had seen. The canine made several more paw signs before the mummy rolled his eyes.

"No! It's candy night! We can get ice cream another night!"

"Everything ok boys?" The cheetah asked with a chuckle.

"Sorry, ma'am. He has an obsession with ice cream. But the candy is-"

"Oh I think I have an otter pop or two in the freezer," The cheetah said which caused both painted dogs to freeze. "I will be right back"

With that, the cheetah set the bowl down on a table just inside the doorway and strolled out of view.

"Candy is enough," The mummy explained only to have the ghost stick out his tongue before covering his body with the sheet once more.

The cheetah returned and held out two otter pops for the canines.

"Now don't go telling everyone ok?" The cheetah said with a wink.

"We won't," The mummy said, "Thank you, ma'am."

The ghost eagerly took one of the pops and brought it under his sheet, seconds later an odd sucking sound came from the ghost as he ate his cold sweet treat.

The two painted dogs scampered down the steps as the cheetah closed the door.

"What flavor you…oh, it doesn't matter," The mummy grumbled as they walked down the steps.

Judy and Sarah began to take a step around the sidewalk so they could go and get their own candy. They were stopped by the mummy, however.

"You like grape otter pops?" The mummy asked as he looked down at the bunnies and held out the small purple Popsicle. "I am not a fan of grape and have tons of candy already."

"I like grape," Sarah whispered nervously from Judy's side as she buried her head into her sister.

"You do?" The mummy asked excitedly and then looked into his candy bag. "Wait hold on."

Judy eyed the mummy with some hesitation, she could feel the scar on her cheek itch slightly as she noticed the claws on the canine.

"Let me see your bag," The mummy ordered.

"We don't have any candy," Judy said in a low growl, unsure what the mummy was up to.

"Good because I got tons, don't like grape, its gross." The canine then produced several pieces of candy, all of them grape flavored.

"Grape!" Sarah exclaimed as she found her courage and took a step towards the painted mummy. She held open her bag and the canine dropped his pawful of candy right into Sarah's trick or treat bag.

"Thanks," Judy said in mild surprise. She then took the otter pop and opened it up for her sister who eagerly munched on the sweet treat.

The ghost began to shake as it looked at the otter pop and then to the mummy.

"Oh hush," The mummy said, "We can get more ice cream later. Besides, remember its service over self. We give to others so the painted ones smile down on us….and junk."

The ghost let out a sigh and then reached into his own bag. It took a few seconds but he then produced several orange-colored candies.

"He doesn't like carrot," The mummy explained.

Judy smirked and opened her own bag. The canine dropped the candy into Judy's bag and then gave her a thumbs up which she returned.

"Thanks, guys," Judy said as she tipped her hat.

"Happy to help officer bunny," The mummy explained.

The two pairs of mammals parted ways. The mummy and ghost hurrying off to find more treats as Judy and Sarah climbed the steps to the cheetah's house.

Judy was very proud of her younger sister when the cheetah answered the door. The multi-colored doe holding her bag open and smiling up at the cheetah with no fear in her eyes. Judy wondered how her siblings were doing with all this exposure to preds.

"Oh M Goodness!" The cheetah exclaimed as she dropped the candy into Sarah's bag and then looked at Judy. "You two are adorable. Especially you officer. My sweet Benny is a police officer this year too! Oh, I wish he could see you. He loves officers. Tell me are you part of the Manta Bay police department?"

"No ma'am," Judy said as she puffed out her chest. "I am going to be part of the ZPD one day."

"Well, I hope you make it sweetie. Here is a little something extra for you," The cheetah put several extra pieces of candy in both Judy and Sarah's bags before wishing them a good night.

"Candy," was all Sarah managed to say as she looked in her bag which already had an impressive haul thanks to the kindness of the mummy and the cheetah.

Meanwhile, a few streets over Nick and Emily were taking a moment to inspect their bags which were already filling with candy.

"This is awesome!" Nick said as he took a moment to munch on some of the sweet treats they had manage to collect.

"The map knows all," Emily chuckled as she inspected the piece of paper in her paws. "Ok so if we take a left up ahead we can probably get to Old mammal Johnson's place in no time."

"That's the king-sized candy guy?"

"Yes. But only if you brave his graveyard."

"We can do it," Nick said confidently.

"Let's get going, just gotta past the park," Emily said as she hopped up and hurried down the sidewalk followed by Nick.

There were mammals in all sorts of different costumes hurrying about, all of them eager to get as much candy as they could before the night ended.

As the two fox's strolled past a darkened park Nick thought he heard something. The fox looked around as his night vision adjusted. There was the sound of leafs rustling and a tree branch snapping. Nick looked up in time to see a giant pumpkin falling towards Emily.

"Emily look out!" Nick shouted. It was too late though as the large orange object landed right on top of Emily with a muffled thump.

"Oi!"

"And thus the mighty pumpkin conquers the fox! Gone are the days of old where predators ruled the earth. Now the pumpkin takes the throne," Came a bubbly voice. Nick realized the pumpkin was actually another mammal dressed like one.

"Trisha!" Emily shouted as she squirmed underneath the pumpkin.

"Sorry but I only respond to Queen Pumpkin," The pumpkin explained.

"Nick help!" Emily groaned.

"It will take more than two foxes to take down the mighty pumpkin," The mammal in the costume laughed. "Also I am kind of stuck…this thing wasn't made for battle."

Emily snorted and took a moment to let out a laugh. "Trisha why are you so weird?"

"Why are you so normal?" Trisha asked as Nick approached.

"Do you need help?" Nick asked as he examined the large orange object.

"Yes please," came a sweet voice. "Here," Trisha said as a small brown paw popped out of a hole on the pumpkins side. Nick grabbed the paw and pulled. As the pumpkin rolled off of Emily several more brown appendages appeared.

Nick watched as another brown paw popped out of the other side of the pumpkin. Two large brown feet managed to appear at the bottom. What was most surprising was a pair of black tipped ears that popped out of the top before a small brown rabbit head joined them, the green stem of the pumpkin acting like a hat that sat between her ears.

"Thank you junior ranger scout dude," Trisha said with a smile as her bright blue eyes looked right at nick. "I am Trisha. Queen of the pumpkins and slayer of Emilys."

"This is my cousin Nick," Emily said as she dusted herself off. "Nick this is one of my classmates Trisha," Emily put a paw on what would be the pumpkin's shoulders and squeezed her close. "You get used to her."

"Eeeeeeee," Trisha said as she tried to lean against Emily and nuzzle into her, the costume, however, was too wide and made it so Trisha was stuck just standing there.

"Nice to meet you," Nick said as he held out a paw. Trisha waddled over to Nick and bumped her costume into him.

"I would give you a hug but I have tiny arms," Trisha said as she flailed her arms about.

"We were on our way to Johnson's graveyard," Emily explained. "You in?"

"A pumpkin never backs down from a challenge," Trisha said confidently as she struck a hero pose which looked rather silly in her costume. "Especially one that involves candy."

Old mammal Johnson didn't exactly look like an old mammal. Though he was rather old he was rather fit for his age. The black fur wolf would exercise everyday before and after work. He had become a kind of staple in the community and was loved by all. He would throw parties for the neighborhood every year and invite everyone he could. He would always take part in charity events and was seen by many as a wise mammal to seek counsel from. Most of the neighborhood kits loved him and would take time to visit him whenever they passed by. During Halloween, he would take time to set up a kind of graveyard obstacle course in his front yard. It wasn't a hard one but it was somewhat spooky. He would have little traps set out that the kits would avoid. His wife would be tossing bean bags and if a mammal was hit they were out. His son would lurk in the graveyard, dressed like a ghost, and would try to scoop up mammals which meant they were out. Everyone would gather and watch, cheering on kits brave enough to go for the big candy bars waiting for them at the end of the graveyard. Of course anyone who just wanted candy was more than welcome to grab some from a giant plastic cauldron they had set up on the front yard. Mr. Johnson was so respected by the kits in the community that they would all only take one piece, knowing it was only fair to leave the rest for others.

"Bahahaha no! I was so close!" Screamed a pudgy cheetah in a police officer uniform as he was scooped up and carried to the edge of the graveyard by the ghost who took a moment to tickle the cheetah slightly.

"Better luck next year Benny," The ghost said from under the sheet before depositing the kit on the sidewalk and giving him a pat on the head.

"Good to see ya son," said the cheetah's father who reached out and shook the ghosts paw. The wolf underneath taking a moment to raise his sheet and give the cheetah a friendly smile.

"Thank you, sir."

"How long you in town for?"

Mr. Johnson's son who played the ghost every year was much like his father and was always welcomed back to the community with open arms whenever he took time to visit. He had grown up knowing many of the family's in the area and was treated much like his father.

As the two adult mammals spoke several more trick or treaters arrived. Some of them just taking a piece of candy and hurrying on their way. Others however watched to see who would be brave enough to brave the fog covered graveyard.

"I ain't going!" The mummy exclaimed as his fellow painted dog dressed as a ghost tried to egg him on. "Why don't you go? You are a ghost! Maybe he will take pity on you."

The painted dog under the sheet began to shake and hurried to the candy cauldron where he grabbed a piece of candy, giving his friend his answer.

"Judy they have big candy!" Sarah said excitedly as the two bunnies arrived at the graveyard.

"Yes they do sis," Judy said confidently. "And I'm gonna get one."

"But there is a ghost," Sarah said nervously.

"Its ok Sarah I got this," Judy said reassuringly.

"No Judy!" Sarah said as she grabbed pawfuls of her sister's costume and buried her head into the gray doe. "Please don't go."

"Sarah it's just a wolf in a costume," Judy explained.

"Please don't leave me here," Sarah said as she began to cry.

Judy let out a sigh. While she would love to show off and brave the graveyard she didn't want to leave her little sister alone. There were lots of trick or treaters around but they were all strangers to them and she knew it was her job as an older sister to protect the younger kit.

"Ok Sarah," Judy said sweetly as she hugged her sister close, "We can just sit and watch for a bit, how about that?"

"I'm sorry," Sarah said as she grabbed Tufts of Judy's shirt.

"Hey it's ok," Judy said as she wiped a tear from her younger sister's eye. "Why don't we see how close someone can get to the big candy and then maybe go find more houses to trick or treat at."

Sarah's eyes brightened and she nodded happily.

Nick, Emily, and Trisha arrived at old mammal Johnson's house. All of them with a look of determination on their faces.

"Ok we need a plan," Emily said as she began to eye the series of cardboard grave markers and series of odd traps.

"The pumpkin queen needs no plans!" Trisha shouted which caused all the mammals present to stare at the giant orange blob.

"Trisha?" Nick asked hesitantly.

"Charge!" Trisha shouted as she jumped over the fence and through the graveyard.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Came Mr. Johnson's son as he hurried towards the speedy little pumpkin.

"Oh gosh is that the Rose girl?" a female wolf asked from the front porch.

"That it is!" An older looking male shouted happily. "Go Trisha go!"

Trisha tried to run as quickly as she could but thanks to her bulbous costume it looked more like an odd waddle.

"Gonna get the big stuff. Candy candy candy!" Trisha chanted as she waddled around the gravestones.

"Come here you," The wolf in the sheet barked with laughter as he scooped up the pumpkin. Just like that it was all over, Trisha had been-

There was some movement from the pumpkin and suddenly Trisha popped out of the top wearing an orange shirt and shorts with a jack o lantern smiley face that had been painted on her shirt.

"I am the pumpkin queen!" Trisha shouted as she hurried through the graveyard.

"You gotta be kitting me," the ghost roared with laughter as he hurried after the now pumpkinless Trisha.

The brown doe giggled with laughter as she scurried away, her speed greatly improved once free of the costume. She took one last leap over a fake coffin and landed in the grass just short of a cauldron filled with king sized candy bars.

"Ah ha!" the ghost bellowed as he moved in to catch the bunny. A bean bag flew through the air and smacked the ghost in the head.

"Ah! Mom?!"

"Oh let her have it. That was amazing," the female wolf called from the front porch.

"Behold the pumpkin queen rules all!" Trisha chanted as she stood triumphantly with a king-sized chocolate bar held proudly over her head.

"That's the biggest candy I have ever seen," Sarah said in awe as she watched the small brown bunny slip through the graveyard. "That's the cutest pumpkin I have ever seen too."

Trisha's ears perked up and she turned to smile at the small multi-colored doe standing next to the police bunny.

"Thanks! I like your doctor costume."

Sarah giggled and rubbed her own arm nervously.

Judy chuckled as she watched her sister get all embarrassed before looking back at the brown doe who collected her pumpkin costume and stuck her tongue out at the ghost that towered over her.

"Yeah yeah, you go cause trouble somewhere else now," The wolf grumbled under his sheets. He did, however, reach over and ruffle the bunny's ears which earned him a giggle before the brown doe scampered off to her friends.

"Way to go pumpkin queen!" Several mammals cheered. Trisha walked out of the yard like a champion, her head held up high, her ears even higher.

"Way to go, Trish," the mummy said as he patted the bunny on the back.

"Oh, um…hi Delta...umm…I like your costume," the small doe managed to get out before she blushed and hurried away.

"She likes my costume," the mummy mumbled in a dream-like state only to snap back to reality as he heard some snickering coming from the ghost standing next to him.

"Looking good Trisha," Emily exclaimed as the triumphant doe returned to the waiting foxes.

"There are like 10 more like it in that cauldron," Trisha said happily. "Betcha you can find one ya like."

"I hope," Emily said nervously. "Nick you in?"

Nick had a look of determination on his face that caused both the girls in his group to smile excitedly. They could tell this tod meant business.

Since no one else seemed to be stepping up Nick decided it was now or never. With several determined steps, the fox stepped up to the edge of the graveyard.

"Well well well," The wolf in the sheets said as he trotted in-between Nick and the fox's goal. "Looks like we got a brave ranger stepping up."

The comments were all in jest and meant to be fun. Nick, however, tensed up as he prepared for his run.

"Uh oh, this one has a fire in his eyes," Mr. Johnson announced from the porch. "Looks like we are gonna have two in a row son."

"Not if I can he-" the wolf in the ghost costume began to say as he looked over at the porch. This was what Nick had been waiting for. The fox used the moment of distraction to his advantage and dove towards one of the gravestones and quickly hurried around another, doing his best to stay out of sight. He could have run straight out but he knew the larger wolf would catch him no problem. He had to be sneaky.

"Oh great where did he go?" the wolf chuckled.

"Oh sneaky!" the female wolf cooed from the porch. "Sly fox."

"Not helping mom," the wolf teased.

"Oh hush, I'm rooting for the tod in uniform, looks so handsome."

"Hey now," Mr. Johnson laughed at his wife.

Nick used the smoke cover as best he could and kept low to the ground as if stalking his prey.

"He's over there!" came Trisha's voice.

Nick felt his heart fall into his stomach as he heard the bunny giving direction to the wolf. Why would she do something like this? Why would she betray him?

Nick closed his eyes and began to feel a familiar feeling wash over him. It wasn't until he heard the wolf lumber away that he realized something.

"Right there by the porch!" Trisha shouted.

Nick was on the other side of the yard. The brown doe wasn't helping the wolf. She was saving the fox.

Nick wanted to turn and thank the bunny but focused on the task at paw. As the large wolf prowled towards the porch Nick hurried through the front yard littered with Halloween props. His movements were picked up by the wolf who turned to look at the fox. He was distracted however as a large pumpkin costume landed on his head.

"Got him!" Trisha cheered. "Run Nick run!"

Everyone began to cheer and chant for the tod who darted and weaved through the yard. A look of determination mixed with panic on his face.

He chanced a glance over his shoulder and saw the large ghost charging through the lawn. However, his eyes also saw all the mammals cheering and laughing as they willed the fox onward. One in particular stuck out to him though. He couldn't explain why but there was this gray doe in a police outfit. Her eyes a brilliant purple that held so much joy that Nick felt his own troubles fade away. She was cheering the fox on and lifting a small white doe covered in different spots into the air so she could watch.

Nick turned back to the cauldron that was just a few mere inches away. With one last effort, he leaped into the air and landed at the base of the cauldron, his outstretched paw pressing against the black plastic.

"Wow two in a row," old mammal Johnson laughed. "You are getting slow there son."

"And you are getting old but you don't hear me pointing it out all the time," The wolf in the ghost costume shot back which was met by laughter from his father.

Nick stood up and brushed the grass from his uniform as the large wolf trotted over. Nick hesitated and prepared to be berated or told off.

"Good work scout," The wolf said as he reached over and put a paw on the bill of Nick's hat and pressed down so it covered Nick's face. Nick chuckled as he fixed his hat. "Enjoy your reward. Think that one earned you a double. Don't tell the old wolf on the porch though."

"Really?" Nick asked in shock. A king size was one thing. Two, however, was like winning the lottery to a young mammal.

Nick picked two of the large candy bars from the cauldron and ran back down the yard where several mammals were waiting to congratulate the fox.

Nick made his way through the gathered crowd and stopped in front of the gray doe in the police uniform. She looked at the fox with hesitation but kept a determined look on her face.

"Um…I like your costume," Nick said hesitantly.

The doe blinked in surprise, obviously, she had not expected to hear this. She slowly smiled at the fox and nodded.

"I like yours too…" Judy said as she batted her eyes at the young fox.

"I like your chocolate!" Sarah said with a happiness that was contagious.

Nick chuckled and took a knee so he was eye level with the small bunny whose bright pink eyes shined with admiration.

"Thanks, doctor?"

"Hopps," Judy said as she patted her sister's shoulder. "Dr. Sarah Hopps."

"Thanks, Dr. Hopps," Nick said as he held out one of the king-sized candy bars which was roughly half the size of Sarah. The doe's eyes brightened even more as her lips opened into a broad smile.

"For real?!"

"For real," Nick said happily.

The fox didn't know what he had just done but it meant the world to both Sarah and Judy. Getting such a large candy bar would be seen as a form of badge of honor. Sarah would get to hold it over her littermates for weeks on end. It would give her the confidence to face the coming weeks which meant the world to Judy who knew how much Sarah needed the pick me up.

"Thank you!"

"Nick," the fox said, introducing himself as he put the large candy bar in Sarah's bag which was immediately hugged close to the young doe.

"Thank you, Nick," Judy said with a warm smile.

"No problem... officer?"

Judy froze as she realized what the fox was getting at.

"Judy Hopps..."

"Happy Halloween Officer Judy Hopps," Nick said as he gave the bunny a quick salute and then hurried off to his cousin and friend.

Judy couldn't explain why but her ears raised up as she felt an odd feeling course through her. It was pride. The bunny racked her mind and then realized no one had ever called her that. Even though they all knew what she wanted to be. This fox, however, called her that without skipping a beat. Judy found herself staring at the tod and only broke her gaze when Sarah prodded her side. Judy looked down at her younger sister who smiled up at Judy and held the king-sized candy bar up.

"Wanna split it?" Sarah asked happily.

"How about you keep it for now," Judy said with a smile. "There are lots more houses to check out. Wanna go find some more candy?"

"Yeah!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Feather street normally has a good haul," the mummy from before said. "We are heading over if you wanna join."

"Sounds fun," Judy said as she took a step forward towards the canine. They all introduced themselves and soon were off on the hunt for more candy. Sarah holding paws with both her sister and the mummy as the painted dog under the ghost costume carried Sarah's bag, sniffing both bags eagerly as his tail swayed.

Nick managed to catch one last glimpse of the cute bunny in the police officer uniform and was pleased when she looked back in his direction and smiled.

"So where to pumpkin queen?" Emily asked as the three planned their next adventure.

"Oh Feather street is supposed to have a lot of candy this year. I heard it from a friend that they normally have good stuff," Trisha said eagerly as she put her pumpkin costume back on.

"Sound good Nick?" Emily asked, noticing her cousin was busy looking off at the gray bunny in the police officer costume

"Yeah, sounds good," Nick said with a smirk. "Sounds sweet..."

* * *

 **So as some of you may now realize this story ain't exactly canon. Its meant to just be a fun fluff filled story. I love writing these little chapters and they boost my mood. I hope they do the same for you all. This whole story is just going to be about silliness, cute moments, and memories from my own childhood along with some ideas from my friends.**

 **For those of you who have read my other one-shots story just know that there will be new material and soon!**

 **This story will receive only occasional updates as its a kind of holiday special series. So please be patient with me between updates. The story may go a while without updates but it is not abandoned.**

 **Special Thanks time!**

 **What an amazing cover right?! Trisha looks so freaking cute with her postcard and in her little hoody. OMG I just can't stop gushing over this picture. _DeannART_ is the creator for this amazing picture. I have to say it was an absolute pleasure talking to them and getting this picture made. If you get a chance go check out their Deviant art page to see some truly amazing picture. Especially a large sized version of this cover pic...darn fanfic and its pic requirements. Thanks again partner and I can't wait to see what you create next! **

_**Fox in the hen house**_ **is the creator of that adorable multi-colored doe Sarah Hopps who I truly love having in this story. She brings her own level of cuteness even for all the hardships she has had to endure. Don't worry though, this story is gonna make you all smile with how I plan on spoiling that bunny. Thank you again, my friend, for allowing me to feature her here, I won't let you down!**


	2. Snowballs and Fireplaces

**Hey everyone. So here is the second chapter. Original release was in December of 2017. Don't worry though we have new material coming soon!**

* * *

-Snowballs and fireplaces-

Another holiday was fast approaching and Nick found himself sitting on a familiar train which whisked him towards his home away from home. Once again the fox wouldn't be spending a holiday in Zootopia but with family in Manta Bay instead. This was starting to turn into a tradition but it was one he enjoyed so it wasn't really that bad.

The seeds of this tradition had been planted after Halloween when he returned to the city to his waiting mother. Nick spent hours upon hours talking about his adventure in the city by the bay. He showed his mother the king-sized candy bars he had won at old man Johnson's house. He told her about meeting this strange brown bunny named Trisha who had made him into her new best friend. He spoke about meeting this other pair of bunnies briefly but felt somewhat embarrassed when speaking about a certain gray bunny. He couldn't explain it but his stomach felt weird when thinking about the doe in the ZPD costume with the beautiful purple eyes.

Nick's mother loved hearing all the different stories however and would ask Nick question after question. She also called Nick's Aunt Jean and thanked her for watching after Nick and saving the day. It was at that point Jean asked what the plans were for the holiday season. Soon a plan was made for Nick to spend his winter break back in Manta Bay. It wasn't until the last day of school before the break began that Nick's mother revealed this plan. Nick was a little confused at first but soon the tod had his arms around his mother's waist as he thanked her for the surprise. He was worried about his mother though. He kept saying she shouldn't be alone during the holidays and that he wanted to be with her. Such words made his mother a little teary-eyed as she realized what a kind and caring son she had. She reassured him that she would head to Manta Bay a few days before Christmas so they could spend the holiday together as a family. Nick, however, would be leaving right away so he could have more time with his family and friends in the small coastal city.

When Nick's train arrived at the station the tod peaked out the window and his eyes brightened as he saw some familiar faces.

Standing on the platform were three mammals. His cousin Emily who was wearing a dark green snow jacket and black pants. His auntie Jean who was in a similar cold weather outfit. Finally, there was a surprise mammal waiting to greet Nick. Trisha was bundled up in a dark purple jacket and baggy blue snow pants. The bunny noticed Nick in the window and started to bounce in place as she tugged at Emily's arm. The young female fox looked over and a bright smile appeared on her face as she waved at her cousin from the platform.

Nick gathered his bags and hurried through the car. He had some trouble lugging his overnight bag but fortunately, a timber wolf took notice and helped the eager fox carry his bag off the train and onto the platform. Jean thanked the wolf for his help, the larger predator tipping his hat and saying it was no problem before strolling down the platform.

Emily and Trisha both hurried over to Nick and wrapped the fox up in a warm hug. Nick let out a laugh but held the girls close as they all greeted one another. He noticed how Trisha nuzzled into his cheek and smirked, he had heard that a bunny greeting could sometimes be more affectionate than some but he didn't mind at all. Trisha and he had become fast friends last time he was in Manta Bay and the two had kept in touch. Trisha and Nick sending one another postcards and silly letters over the past few weeks. He especially liked the one from the local aquarium that overlooked the large bay the city had been named for. Every time he had looked at the postcards memories of Halloween played out in his mind. Of course, one memory, in particular, stood out. It was that gray bunny clad in ZPD apparel. Nick had hoped to meet her on this trip as well but sadly Trisha had informed him that she didn't know a Judy Hopps that went to their school and how the bunny may have been an out of towner. This information, of course, was followed by a postcard filled with questions.

"Why? Did you like her? OMG do you? Do you like bunnies like that? There is nothing wrong with that though. She was super cute. Nick and Judy sitting in a tree!"

Even in postcard form, Trisha was still bouncy and bubbly.

"Welcome home cuz," Emily said as she parted from her cousin.

"Welcome to the land of the pumpkin Queen!" Trisha exclaimed as she leaped back to the ground and held her paws into the air.

"Thanks, guys," Nick said as he looked at the two. He then glanced over at his aunt who smiled at the tod.

"Welcome home kit-o," Jean said as she walked over. Nick met her halfway and wrapped his arms around his aunt. Making sure to thank her for inviting him here again and letting him stay with them.

"Oh of course," Jean said happily as she helped Nick load his bag on a cart nearby. "We have been so excited about this. Emily has been telling all her friends. In fact, I think you already have a rather busy schedule."

"Really?" Nick asked as he looked at his cousin and the brown bunny next to her.

"I may have told some of my classmates you were coming from Zootopia."

"That's right city fox, you are Mr. Popular. Lots of mammals wanna ask you about the city," Trisha said as her bright blue eyes shined.

"There isn't much to tell I guess," Nick said hesitantly.

"Oh and we also need your help with something," Emily said with a wicked smile as she looked at Trisha.

"Whats up?" Nick asked as he looked from his cousin to Trisha.

"How good are you at snowball fights?" Trisha asked with a confident smirk.

Nick soon learned that he had been shanghaied into a snowball fight that would be occurring the next day. Apparently, many of the younger mammals in the city got together at one of the large parks and had a snowball fight of epic proportions. The winner of the fight would have bragging rights for weeks at school. Sadly for the past few years, a group of arctic mammals had won. No one really liked dealing with them though. They normally fought dirty and would be bullies on the battlefield.

The year prior they used their natural cold weather abilities to literally run over a few of the snow forts. One or two kits were even hurt in the process. The battle ended pretty quickly after that. No one wanted to deal with two large polar bears that made up the muscle of the arctic team.

Once Nick had dropped his things off at Emily's house he was escorted to the battlegrounds by Emily and Trisha. Both of them had eager looks on their faces as they strolled towards the park.

"This year we have some secret weapons," Emily explained.

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked, wondering what his cousin was up to.

"Oh yeah," Emily began as she looked across from Nick at the brown bunny skipping next to them. "Trisha recruited her Booooooyfriend."

Trisha froze and glared at Emily.

"He is not my boyfriend!" She shouted as she waved her paws about. "He is just…a..friend..like a close friend."

"A friend you kissed on the cheek at the school dance," Emily shot back.

"So?"

"No one else got a smooch," Emily pointed out. The fox, however, shut up as a snowball landed right on her head. "Hey friendly fire!"

"Is this that painted dog from Halloween?" Nick asked slyly as he looked down at Trisha who blushed as her ears fell down.

"Shut it, Nick," Trisha grumbled.

Nick and Emily exchanged knowing looks before continuing towards the park.

Once inside the park grounds, Nick noticed a series of snow piles. Several other mammals scurrying about as they tried to assemble different snow forts that would help them in the coming battle.

"Ours is over here," Emily said as she nodded towards a hill. The group slowly trudged up the snowy embankment and as they approached Nick heard a muffled voice.

"It was just a kiss on the cheek!" Delta shouted, Atom, however, didn't believe a word of it and began to make a series of signs with his paws.

"So what if she is cute?" Delta barked as he waved his paws about. "And sweet, and bubbly….and her ears do that thing sometimes when one is up and the other is tilted…"

Atom snorted as he began to push a large chunk of snow up towards the wall of their fort.

"Oi, last I checked I wasn't the only one who had fun at the dance," Delta shot back at his fellow painted dog. "Where did you and Emily sneak off to?"

Atom froze and turned to look at Delta. With one paw he kept the snow chunk in place, with the other he made a series of signs.

"Really? You two went outside to look at the stars and hug?"

Atom grinned and nodded quickly.

"If it was anyone else I would call them a liar…" Delta grumbled, knowing full well that Atom was way too innocent to sneak off and try anything else.

There was a coughing above the two canines who froze and looked up.

"How long were you all standing there?" Delta asked in mild panic.

"We did just sit outside and look at the stars!" Emily shouted at Delta.

"Yeah, but I picked you up on this part," Trisha said playfully as she let one of her ears droop while the other stood up. The doe smirked at Delta who stood there slack-jawed before returning to preparing the fort. Nick looked over at Trisha who giggled as a blush went up her ears.

 _Explains why she is so cool with a fox and a bunny._

"How is the fort coming along?" Emily asked as she hopped into the large makeshift trench. She walked over and helped Atom put the large snow chunk in place and patted it down to reinforce the walls.

"It's looking good," Delta began as he turned to look over at Emily. Nick noticed how the painted dog glanced at Trisha from time to time but the canine did his best to look elsewhere. "We have the best vantage point. Glad Trisha came here and claimed this spot. We will be able to cover most of the other forts. The only problem is we are also exposed to the most forts as well."

Delta looked up towards Nick and smiled at the fox.

"Your Emily's cousin from Zootopia right?"

Nick nodded as he looked down at the painted dog.

"Nick," The fox said in a friendly manner.

"Delta," Delta said as he pointed at himself. "And the silent but deadly one over there is Atom."

Atom waved happily at Nick as his tongue stuck out to one side.

"Nice to meet you too," Nick said as he sat down on the top of the fort. Trisha sat down next to him and leaned against the fox gently. The fox noticed something in Delta's eyes which caused him to scoot away from the brown bunny just an inch or two.

"Any good at snowball fights?" Delta asked as he busied himself with patting down some of the walls of the fort.

"I have been known to have a pretty good curveball," Nick joked.

"He is really good at skeeball too," Emily added as she looked up at her cousin. "I vote we have Nick, Trisha, and Atom on snowball attack while Delta and I keep making ammo. That way they always have snowballs to use."

"Bet I could beat ya at skeeball," Trisha teased as she stuck her tongue out at Nick.

"That a challenge?" Nick asked as he turned to face the brown doe.

"Maaaaaaaaybe," Trisha said as she gave the tod a wink.

There was some grumbling coming from the side of the fort Delta was in but most of the mammals were too busy with their work to notice. Nick, however, looked at the painted dog and then to Trisha. He made a nodding motion over towards the canine which Trisha picked up on. She blushed slightly and nodded as she hopped from the top of the fort and skipped over to help Delta with his work.

Nick took a moment to survey the park that would be their battleground the next day. His emerald eyes scanned the snow-covered field and he smirked. They did have a good position on the hill and with a bit of luck could hold their own. As the tod looked across the sea of white he thought he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. Maybe his eyes had been playing tricks on him. He could have sworn though he had seen a pair of black-tipped gray bunny ears skip along the outside of the park before vanishing behind a tree.

The next day Nick and Emily were woken up by Nick's aunt who had prepared a large hot breakfast for the pair. Nick was in heaven with all the different baked goods and constantly thanked his aunt as he bit into the different assortment of food.

The doorbell signaled the arrival of their friends and both Emily and Nick stuffed some last minute food into their mouths before hurrying to the front door. If ever there was such a ragtag team of mammals this was it. All of the gang was dressed up in winter apparel but also had on headgear of sorts to protect them in battle. Delta had an old and dented army helmet on. Trisha wore a worn pilot helmet with goggles. Atom had put a large cooking pot on his own head for protection. They had even brought Emily and Nick some headgear. Emily went with a bucket that had been cut so it would fit her head. Nick was handed another old army helmet that was a size too big but would do the trick.

Delta and Atom had also brought along some large circular sleds. The plan was to use them as shields during the snowball fight. Nick had to admit it was a genius plan. It wasn't until they arrived at the field that he realized nearly all the other groups had done the same.

As they trudged up the hill Trisha bounced through the snow so she could be the first to the top.

"Alright my canine minions," The bunny began as she got to the top. "Welcome to fort Pumpkin!"

Trisha struck a heroic pose but faltered when she heard Delta and Atom snickering.

"What?"

Delta pointed at the fort where a flag blew in the light breeze. It was a light blue piece of fabric with the words "Fort Ice Cream" written on it.

"Atom!" Trisha shouted at the painted dog who simply smirked.

Meanwhile down the hill at the edge of the park, a large group of mammals gathered to watch the coming battle. Most of them were local kits who just didn't want to get involved but wanted to watch anyways. Some of them were too young to participate while others were there to keep an eye on the younger ones. Some of them though were simply out of towners who had stumbled on the park and wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

"Snow city!" Sarah Hopps exclaimed as she waddled through the snow towards the forts.

"Oh no ya don't," Judy said firmly as she scooped her younger sister up by the waist and dragged her back towards the edge of the park.

"Aww come on Judy," Sarah whined as she squirmed in her sister's arms.

"Those big kits are about to have a battle and I am not explaining to mom how you got covered in snow and slush," Judy said in her best big sister tone.

"No fair…" Sarah grumbled but listened to her older sister none the less.

Sarah and Judy were in town with the rest of the Hopps clan for a big holiday celebration being thrown by one of their uncles. The two does had wandered off into the neighborhood, however, to enjoy the snow and see all the different festive decorations. When they had heard about the epic snowball battle that was about to take place in the park Judy couldn't help but investigate.

Normally the cold didn't really affect Judy but her mother had insisted they bundle up anyways. Judy wore a dark blue snow jacket she had seen in some magazines. It was the same kind the ZPD used for their officers. She had saved up several weeks allowances to afford the jacket and had it custom made. She felt like a member of the Tundra Town Tactical unit when she wore it which made her somewhat giddy.

Sarah meanwhile was wrapped up in a bright pink jacket. Bonnie having bought it for the doe, saying it went so well with her rare pink eyes. Sarah loved how warm it kept her and insisted on wearing it sometimes even when it wasn't snowing.

As Judy watched the different mammals prepare for the snowball fight she had an urge to run in and see if any teams needed a last minute addition. She had to restrain herself though, knowing it would be stupid to bring Sarah into the fray but equally dumb to leave the smaller doe on her own at the edge of the park. So Judy simply plopped down on a large chunk of snow and wrapped her sister up in her arms as they watched. Sarah leaned back against her older sister and cooed as she nuzzled against the gray bunny.

Up on the top of the hill, Emily and Delta busied themselves with making snowball after snowball and setting them down in a pile in the center of the fort. Atom would scoop up a few and place them near his position while Trisha and Nick surveyed the battlefield.

"See them," Trisha said as she pointed down towards the center of the park. A pair of large polar bears, an arctic fox, a white wolf, and a snowshoe hare all busied themselves with preparing their own snowballs.

"Yeah," Nick responded as he eyed the mix of arctic mammals.

"they are the troublemakers. Watch out for them. They sometimes play dirty which is how they won last year."

"Just keep those ears down this time," Emily said from the snowball pile.

"I will I will," Trisha grumbled.

"Bet Delta could help keep them warm," Nick whispered which earned him a jab from Trisha. "Especially if you do the thing with them."

"Emily I am about to throw your cousin down the hill," Trisha shouted.

"Nick whatever it is your doing..," Emily began. "Keep it up."

After a few more jokes from Nick followed by some jabs from Trisha, the team was ready for the battle to begin.

There was no formal way for the snowball fight to start so it just simply began. A group huddled in a snow fort on the edge of the hill started it. A skunk all bundled up in red lobbed the first snowball at another fort. Which caused a chain reaction as other groups joined in until the air was filled with bits of snowballs.

Nick couldn't help but get excited as they joined in the battle. He scooped up some snowballs into his arms and began to toss them here and there. He aimed at one of the forts nearby and managed to get a zebra on the side and then a panda on one of the legs. There weren't any real rules to the battle which meant the mammals Nick hit were still in the fight, they just simply had snow on them now.

After running out of ammo Nick chanced a glance over at his fellow teammates. Trisha took aim and managed to peg the skunk that started this all and giggled evilly as the mammal glared up at her.

"Thanks, Trisha!" the skunk shouted.

"No problem Matt!"

Atom meanwhile was a snowball tossing machine. The painted dog had a big smile on his face as he tossed snowball after snowball at certain mammals. Each one hitting their mark. Atom was apparently some kind of lethal snowball sniper which soon brought attention to their fort. The gang all huddled down as a volley of snowballs flew their way. Nick crawled over to help Delta and Emily make more ammo while they waited for the onslaught to stop.

Down at the edge of the park, Judy was mesmerized by the battle wand her eyes widened as she took in the scene. She watched as mammals of all shapes and sizes darted around the park, tossing snowballs and playful insults to one another. At one point a snowball went wide and nearly hit her. This just made the doe excited as she hopped from her snowy seat and began to make a snowball of her own. The doe took aim and managed to peg a tiger who looked around in confusion, unsure where the ball that hit her in the back of the head had come from.

Sarah giggled as she hopped into the snow too and began to make a small snowmammal. Judy looked down at her sweet little sister and couldn't help but smirk as the multi-colored doe busied herself with her creation. It was good to see Sarah so happy, she had such a pretty smile. Sadly back home the doe was considered to be a bit of a bad luck omen. Bunnies with so many colors on their fur were considered taboo so sadly Sarah was shunned by many of her siblings. The poor doe didn't get a chance to act like a kit that much but when she did Judy happily joined in to make sure her little sister had fun in life.

Of course, the fun only lasted so long as Judy felt a snowball wiz past her ears. She looked up and noticed how some of the mammals in one of the forts were taking shots at the spectators who were now being dragged into the conflict. Judy of course more than game to join in and quickly rolled some snow up as she searched for a target. She found a gazelle which was lobbing snowballs their way and decided it was time to put an end to it. Judy tossed her snowball into the air and let out a whoop when it landed right on the gazelles head.

"Sarah, did you see that?" Judy asked as she looked down at her sister.

Judy's eyes widened in terror as she noticed her sister had vanished.

"Sarah?!" Judy shouted as she looked around. Her purple eyes darted here and there as she tried to find her little sister.

"Oh no oh no," Judy spat out as she weaved through the spectators. "Have you seen a bunny? Bright pink coat? Pink eyes?" Judy began to grow desperate as she asked several of the other mammals nearby. All of them shook their heads, some of them looked around in an attempt to help Judy but came up empty.

"Over there," a weasel shouted as she pointed towards the field.

Judy turned and felt her heart stop as she saw Sarah waddling through the snow, right into the center of the battleground.

"Sarah!" Judy shouted as she tried to dart towards her sister. A snowball flew through the air and pegged Judy on the cheek with such force she fell to the ground. She wiped the slush from her fur and quickly got up, refusing to let Sarah get hit.

Meanwhile, up on the hill, Trisha popped her head over the side of the fort as she searched for a target. Her jaw fell open as she spotted a small bunny in a bright pink coat waddling across the field.

"Oh, my gosh that doe is right in the kill zone!" Trisha shouted, her words filled with a panic that caused the rest of her team to pop their heads up.

"What she doing? That's right by the artic bullies?!" Emily shouted.

"She doesn't know, she must be just a kit!" Delta barked.

Nick didn't say a word but instead leaped into action. He hopped out of the safety of their fort and hurried down the hill. Snowballs flew past his head and he felt one hit his side but he ignored the numbing pain as he got on all fours and picked up speed. He watched as the small bunny happily waded through the snow, oblivious to the battle raging around her.

"Sarah!" Nick heard someone shouting and he looked over to see a gray bunny in a blue coat trying to get to the doe. She wouldn't reach her in time though.

"Oh, easy target at the front!" Came a voice from the artic fort. "The one in pink! Peg her!"

"No!" Nick shouted as he picked up some speed.

Sarah meanwhile stopped to sit down in the snow as she put her paws into the cool white powder. She began to roll some of the snow up to make another snowmammal, humming a tune as she did.

Nick watched as a large snowball the size of Sarah suddenly flew into the air. It then began to slowly fall to the ground, its target clear.

The fox let out a growl and pushed off the ground with his hind paws and flew towards Sarah. The doe looked up in time to see Nick flying towards her. She didn't seem scared though but a look of confusion crossed her face. As Nick made contact with the small doe he wrapped his arms around her and curled his body as to shield her. He felt something heavy and cold hit his back seconds later. The large snowball exploding and covering the fox. He shivered as he felt an icy cold liquid flow down his neck and into his jacket against his fur.

Sarah let out a frightened squeal and began to struggle against the fox, worried she was being attacked.

"Sarah!" Judy shouted as she hurried towards the pair of mammals.

"Defend our fox!" Trisha shouted as the rest of the team came sliding down the hill on a set of sleds. Once at the bottom Delta and Atom picked up the circular objects and used them like shields as they hurried over to protect Nick from more snowballs.

"Nick, you ok?" Emily asked as she reached her cousin.

Judy arrived just seconds later as Nick uncurled and helped Sarah to her feet.

"Judy help!" Sarah squeaked as she ran over to Judy. "He is trying to get me!"

"No Sarah," Judy corrected as she looked at Nick. "He just saved you."

Nick gave Judy a weak smile as he began to shiver from the cold in his jacket. Emily gave Nick a concerned look and grabbed the back of his collar.

"Nick you are soaked," Emily exclaimed in a mild panic. "We gotta get you warm. If you catch a cold…"

Nick and Emily both knew that it was incredibly dangerous for foxes to get sick. They had a higher risk of succumbing to colds than most mammals so something like this was very serious.

"My house is the next block over," Trisha shouted as she lobbed a snowball over their temporary shields.

"Let's move out," Delta barked as he used one of the sleds to deflect an incoming snowball.

"I'm sorry guys," Nick managed to say between shivers.

"Don't be, we are a team," Trisha said as she grabbed Nick's paw and began to lead him off the field.

Sarah pulled at Judy's paw as she tried to lead her sister after the retreating group. "Come on! We gotta help him!" Sarah shouted at her sister. Judy was slightly hesitant but agreed that they should at least make sure Nick was ok. Though she hadn't recognized the group at first Judy soon remembered their Halloween in Manta Bay and the memory of the sweet Ranger scout giving Sarah a candy bar came into her mind. This was the same fox. The same one she couldn't stop thinking about in class. The same one she wrote about in her diary, a heart always around his name.

It didn't take long for the group to reach Trisha's house. Nick constantly apologizing for ruining the day. The apologies fell on deaf ears though as the group would just shake their heads and reassure the fox he didn't do anything wrong.

"You're a hero Nick," Delta cheered.

"And looks like you have a fan," Trisha whispered as she nodded over her shoulder.

Nick looked behind him and noticed the gray bunny and the smaller multi-colored one following close behind them. Though he felt frozen he still couldn't help but get a warm feeling at the sight of those purple eyes.

Once at Trisha's house the gang hurried inside. Trisha's mother was slightly surprised at the sudden appearance of so many youngsters but apparently, this wasn't the first time Trisha brought home random mammals. To Nick's surprise, the older doe not only welcomed everyone into their home but began to fuss over Nick when she found out what happened.

"Oh my goodness," The bunny exclaimed as she looked at the fox. "We need to get you out of those wet clothes, come with me, sweetie."

The bunny led Nick into the living room where a roaring fire blazed from the fireplace. The whole room was decorated with a festive look. Lights went around the room, stockings hung at the fireplace. The scene was topped off with a large decorated tree in the corner of the room. Nick felt a great deal better already but it wasn't enough for Peggy.

"Come on now let's get that jacket off," The doe helped Nick out of the jacket only to see that Nick's undershirt was soaked as well. "How about you take that off and set it by the fire to help it dry. I'll go find you a blanket."

Nick followed the doe's orders and was grateful the snow hadn't reached his pants or else the situation would have been more awkward.

While Nick warmed by the fire Trisha went to the kitchen and started to make some hot chocolate for the group. Trisha's mother returned moments later with a large blanket she wrapped around Nick. She apologized for not having any shirts for him to wear. Even though Nick was only a tod he was still larger than the bunnies who lived in the house so there wasn't anything near his size. Fortunately for Nick, Delta was a little larger and had worn extra layers. The painted dog stripped a long sleeve shirt off and passed it to Nick.

"Sorry for the smell," The painted dog said with a weak smile. Nick, however, thanked Delta for the kindness and put the shirt on, feeling slightly less awkward now that he was clothed once more.

"We better contact your parents and tell them where you all are," Peggy said to the group. Everyone agreed that it would be better and one by one they called their parents to tell them where they were.

Nick's aunt was somewhat worried but Emily convinced her that they were at a friend's house warming up and as soon as they could they would head home. Delta called his and Atom's parents to tell them they were safe at Trisha's house.

"Yes, dad the brown bunny from school," Delta mumbled into the phone. A few muffled words could be heard on the phone and Delta's ears raised up. "Yes, the one from the dance…..shut up dad! No, I won't be spending the night…..because that's gross! Dad! Oh my gosh, I am hanging up now!"

Nick glanced over at Trisha who was blushing as she smiled at the cup of hot chocolate in her paws.

When it came to Judy and Sarah they didn't know their Uncles number. Fortunately for them, Peggy was familiar with their family in Manta Bay and had their number written down in a phone book. She called up their uncle and was put on with Bonnie.

"Oh no it's no trouble at all Mrs. Hopps," Peggy said as she spoke to Judy and Sarah's mother. "I insist, they are all curled up by the fire right now warming up. What's that? Oh no my husband can drop them off when he gets back. Are you sure? Well ok, …our address is.." Peggy then spent a good ten minutes speaking to Bonnie as mothers do, gossiping about their children and the likes.

Trisha looked over at Judy and winked, "Guess we have to be friends now."

"Guess so," Judy said with a smirk as she sipped some of the hot chocolate Trisha had made everyone.

As the group warmed up by the fire they all started to get to know one another a little better. Judy and Sarah being the newest additions to the group were welcomed with open arms.

As time went on they all started their own little conversations.

Judy scooted over to Nick and looked nervously at the floor before gazing at the fox. Nick gave the bunny a nervous smile, trying to think of something to say.

"I wanted to thank you for rescuing my sister," Judy began as she gazed into Nick's emerald eyes.

"Of course Officer Hopps," Nick said slyly.

Judy blushed at Nick's words and looked away. Nick did the same, worried he had just made a fool of himself.

A burst of laughter from across the room caught both their attention and the looked over.

Sarah was sitting with her legs crossed as she looked straight ahead at Delta who had his back to the bottom of the couch. Sarah pointed at one of her legs which had brown fur going up the side. Delta quickly pointed to his arm which had the same color but in splotches.

Sarah giggled as she pointed to her cheek where a white patch of fur sat. Delta responded by pointing to his face, his fur matching Sarah's. The two apparently playing some kind of game where they matched one another's fur. Painted dogs were naturally covered in different fur colors. Sarah, however, was an oddity for a bunny. For her to meet mammals Atom and Delta was actually a good thing. It was especially good to see her laughing about her fur instead of hiding it.

Of course, Sarah was also enjoying herself thanks to the attention she was receiving from Trisha. The bunny sat with her legs on either side of Sarah as she ran a brush down the doe's ears.

"Sarah I love your ears, they are so neat," Trisha cooed. Each of Sarah's ears was a different color. Trisha would brush one and the switch to the other, studying the doe's different fur colors.

Judy realized that both Trisha and Peggy had said nothing negative about Sarah since their arrival. Apparently, the taboo of multi-colored bunnies didn't exist in this part of the world. Something Judy was grateful for.

"I like yours too," Sarah said as she turned to smile at Trisha. The bunny reached over and ran a paw down Trisha's ear and gave it a squeeze.

Trisha giggled and she leaned close to Sarah and nuzzled her cheek to the smaller does which earned a happy squeak from Sarah.

"I like her brown fur," Delta chimed in.

Both the bunnies looked at Delta. Sarah's eyes shimmering as she looked at the canine. She then looked down at her legs and wiggled her large feet.

"Whys that?" Trisha asked playfully as she resumed brushing the doe's ears.

"Because I like brown fur," Delta said with a mischievous smile which caused Trisha to look away as her cheeks warmed.

"I like brown fur too!" Sarah exclaimed as she reached forward and put her paws on Delta's head and rubbed the brown fur.

Delta snorted at Sarah who began to giggle once more.

Judy watched the scene play out and she felt a happiness swell inside her. Sarah had never laughed this much before and it made Judy's heartache knowing the bunny had never experienced these kinds of moments.

As Judy let out a sigh she gently rubbed her paw against Nicks…that's when she realized she had set her paw down on Nick's and had been holding his for a while now. She looked down at her gray paw which covered Nick's black one. Her eyes widened with panic as she tried to think of a way to make this less awkward. Nick, however, moved his paw just slightly enough so he could wrap Judy's up in his own. The two sat their holding paws for some time, not saying anything.

Judy looked up at Nick who smiled down at her.

"Are you still cold?" Judy asked as she eyed the blanket wrapped around the fox.

She couldn't explain why but being around Nick wasn't like being around the other fox's she knew in Bunny Burrow. She sadly had problems in the past with some bullies and since then had been somewhat apprehensive when dealing with foxes. Being around Nick though was different. The way he treated Sarah meant the world to Judy. The way he treated her…well, it meant something different but it was all oh so sweet.

Nick tried to think of what to say next but decided to remain silent and instead scooted a little closer to Judy. The bunny smiled and took the hint as she too scooted closer to the fox. They rested against one another for some time. Enjoying the feeling of each other's company.

Across the room, Atom and Emily weren't hiding anything from anyone as they snuggled up with one another and soon passed out thanks to the intoxicating warmth of the fireplace. Emily nuzzled into Atom who let out a snort as he rested his head on top of the fox's, both of them drifting into a sleep.

Judy watched the two canines snuggle up and felt her heart race. The sudden urge to follow suit with a certain fox was starting to get to her. Being the type of bunny who preferred to jump right in it was odd to Judy that she just couldn't take this final step.

 _What if he shrugs me off? What if I am reading this wrong? What if someone sees?_

In the end, Judy opted to try to test the waters. She scooted closer to Nick and rested her head against the young tod's arm. To her joy, Nick didn't move away. Instead, she felt a slight pressure as he started to lean against her in return. The doe closed her eyes with happiness as she settled for the light nuzzle session.

Sadly all good things must come to an end. After spending some time warming by the fire the group straightened up at the sound of the doorbell. Peggy strolled out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the front door which was out of sight for the group in the living room. Everyone waited and listened, hoping that this doorbell was not for one of them. They all knew though that someone was about to be taken from the little get together and a tension began to build up into the room.

"Peggy?" Came Bonnie's voice from down the hall.

Judy winced as she recognized her mother's voice and let out a sigh. Sarah meanwhile hopped up and began to shake with excitement. The smaller doe wanting to see her mother and tell her of all the fun they had had that day.

"You must be Judy and Sarah's mother," Peggy said from down the hall. "It's so nice to meet you, please come in out of the cold. Can I get you something warm to drink?"

"That is so very kind of you but my brother is waiting in his truck. I better collect my little ones and get them out of your fur. Thank you so much again for looking after them."

As the two mothers exchanged pleasantries their voices grew louder as they came down the hall. Judy's eyes widened and she looked at Nick whose arm she was still leaning against. She quickly got up and gave him a nervous smile. Nick was slightly surprised but nodded, knowing that if it was his mother coming down the hall he wouldn't want to give her ammo for teasing later on.

Bonnie and Peggy appeared just as Judy was reaching for Sarah and her jackets which had been set down on a chair nearby. Judy looked at her mother nervously and wondered what she may say about all this. Finding her daughter in a stranger's home surrounded by strange mammals, some of them foxes.

To Judy's surprise though Bonnie simply smiled as she looked around the room.

"Oh my goodness Peggy your home looks wonderful," Bonnie exclaimed as she looked around at the decorations that covered the walls.

"Well I had some help," Peggy began. Trisha beamed at her mother. "Oh, what are you smiling about you little troublemaker. You kept eating the popcorn strings."

Trisha giggled as she looked at her mother and tried to put on her best innocent smile, it didn't exactly work.

"That is my daughter Trisha," Peggy began as she nodded at the brown doe who stood up and helped Judy put Sarah's jacket on. The multi-colored doe giggling with delight as she turned and hugged Trisha around the waist. "The handsome painted dog she is always talking about is Delta."

Trisha's eyes widened and she glared at her mother as a warm blush crossed her face. Judy snorted at Trisha's reaction and received a hip bump to try and stifle the laughter.

"Ma'am," Delta said as he stood up and bowed towards Bonnie who smiled and nodded at the canine.

"The two passed out canines are Atom and Emily," Peggy continued as she pointed at the fox and painted dog who was snuggled up by the fire, fast asleep. "And then there is the hero of the day. Emily's cousin from Zootopia Nick. He apparently saved your little Sarah from getting hit by a snowball roughly her size."

"Really now?" Bonnie asked in mild surprise. Nick stood up and kept the blanket wrapped around him as he gave Bonnie a nervous smile. "Well thank you so much, Nick, for looking after my Sarah."

"Of course ma'am."

"Wait…are, you the ranger scout Nick?" Bonnie asked as she tilted her head and gave Judy and Sarah a knowing look.

Sarah nodded happily as she turned and rushed over to the fox. The small bunny wrapped her arms around Nick and nuzzled into him. "Thank you for the candy."

"Yes thank you, Nick," Bonnie said, a slight playfulness in her voice. "Sarah ate it before bedtime and had a sugar rush for days."

"Sorry," Nick said nervously.

"I am just teasing you, dear," Bonnie said as she waved her paw about. "It was so very sweet of you to do that by the way. The girls have talked about you non stop. Especially Judy."

It was Trisha's turn to laugh at the gray bunny who began to blush. Her bright purple eyes went to her mother and she tried to shake her head in an attempt to stop Bonnie from saying anything else.

Nick couldn't help but smile at this new information as he looked at the gray bunny in front of him. Judy, however, couldn't bring herself to look back at the fox, not just yet.

"Alright girls, say goodbye to your friends and thank Mrs. Rose for looking after you," Bonnie instructed her daughters.

Sarah looked a little down to be leaving but she followed her mother's orders and skipped around the room. Giving Nick another hug and then hurrying over to Emily and Atom. Both canines were still asleep so she patted them on the head and then hurried over to Delta. To Bonnie and Judy's surprise Sarah hugged Delta but then climbed up so the canine had to hold the bunny up. Sarah nuzzled into the painted dog's fur and purred slightly.

"Ok quit hogging her!" Trisha shouted as she hurried over and scooped Sarah up into her arms. The multi-colored bunny squeaked with happiness as she was held by the bubbly brown doe.

Judy said her goodbyes as well. Giving Delta a hug and telling him to say goodbye to Atom and Emily for her. She then received a squeeze from Trisha followed by a sweet kiss on the cheek. When it came time for Nick she felt incredibly awkward, knowing everyone would be looking at them.

"Mrs. Hopps!" Trisha began excitedly as she hurried over to Bonnie. "Can I have your address please?"

"Oh of course," Bonnie said hesitantly.

"She likes to write postcards to her friends," Peggy began to explain. "Let me get a pen and paper if that's alright?"

Judy and Nick both made mental notes to thank Trisha for the last minute distraction. Both of them knowing full well that Trisha had already written down Judy's address earlier, explaining how she wanted to keep in touch.

"So…thank you for everything Nick," Judy said as she looked at the ground and then at the fox before her.

"It was just a snowball," Nick said with a smirk, "Oh and a candy bar."

"No, it's not just that.." Judy began. "You made my sisters day…everytime you have met us you did something awesome."

"Well I am awesome," Nick chuckled. Judy gave him a knowing look as she rolled her eyes. She didn't know it yet but she would give that fox that same look many more times in the future.

"It just means a lot to me," Judy continued as she stepped forward and scooped up Nick's paws in her own. She then looked right into the fox's emerald eyes. "I hope we get to meet again soon."

"Me too Officer Hopps," Nick said, remembering how much Judy smiled when she heard those words.

Judy then took a chance and pulled Nick's paws downward which caused the tod to lean forward. She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips to Nick's cheek as she gave him a gentle kiss. Little did anyone know this was her first time ever kissing someone on the cheek that wasn't family and it was a fox to boot! To Judy though it just felt so wonderful. Maybe a little too wonderful since her lips lingered a little longer than they should have.

What finally caused the kiss to end was a coughing noise behind Judy. Her purple eyes popped open and she turned to see a horrifying sight.

Standing back in the entranceway of the living room was her Trisha, Peggy, Bonnie, and Sarah.

 _I am so dead…_

Trisha had her paws over her mouth as she shook with excitement. Peggy had a smirk on her own face. Sarah, of course, didn't understand what all this was about so she simply smiled at her sister. It was Bonnie that made Judy nervous. Her mother had a surprised look on her face but it soon went back to her normal warmness.

"Ready dear?" Bonnie asked.

Nick gave Judy's paws one last squeeze and with that the bunny hurried from the room. Of course, she did take one last glance at the fox who gave her a handsome smile that made her stomach knot.

"So is that Nick THE Nick?" Bonnie asked in a whisper.

"What? I don't-"

"I am your mother, you cant hide these things from me," Bonnie said as they left the Rose's home. Judy prepared for a talk or maybe some kind of punishment but was surprised when her mother simply opened the door to their uncles truck and smiled at the gray bunny. "Maybe you can get his address from that sweet Trisha girl. Bet he would love a thank you card from you and Sarah."

Even for a young doe Judy could read between the lines and knew her mother wasn't just suggesting the idea for a simple thank you card. Judy felt her cheeks warm as she looked back at Trisha's home. The brown bunny was standing in the doorway and bounced as she waved eagerly to her new friend.

"Maybe.." Judy mumbled to herself.

 _In Zootopia you can be anything. Maybe he and I can be_ something.

* * *

 **Hey everyone.**

 **So I hope ya enjoyed some time in the snow. Like I said before this chapter had originally been released in my other works. I'm not trying to be lazy I swear! Just trying to bring this story up to speed and get all the chapters together.**

 **Next one will be brand new and full of some silly fluff. Atom really steals the show, you will see what I mean soon enough.**

 **Fox thanks again for the continued use of Sarah! I love that little bun of yours and she is just so adorable and fun to write!**

 **If you all enjoy Sarah Hopps as much as I do please go check out some of Fox's stories! _Sweet Treatment_ is especially adorable as it introduces a rather fun ship between Sarah and Trisha. **

**Come on back to Manta Bay soon!**

 **-Blue**


	3. Scientific Spring Part 1

-Scientific Spring Part 1-

"Trisha you have some mail!" Peggy shouted from the kitchen.

The older brown bunny chuckled as she heard a pair of tiny paws scampering down the hallway. Her daughter nearly overshot the turn into the kitchen in her eagerness. Peggy adored how her daughter loved getting mail. At first, she had been a little hesitant and always read over what came in for her daughter. Soon though she started to trust Trisha and her little hobby of writing to different pen pals from all over. Today Trisha had two postcards from two rather interesting places. While Peggy wanted to read what was being said on the postcards she still wanted her daughter to have some kind of independence.

Trisha was still in her pajamas since today was a Saturday there wasn't much of a reason to get ready for the day too early. Peggy however still gave Trisha a rather judgmental look.

"And why are we still not dressed for the day?" Peggy asked as she dried her paws on her apron and set the pan she had previously been cleaning down in the sink.

"Because it's Saturday?" Trisha asked mischievously as she took a step back.

"That doesn't give you the excuse of sitting around in your pajamas all day young lady," Peggy said sternly. "You need to go take a shower."

"In a second," Trisha said as she reached for the postcards but was stopped by her mother who tossed a towel on top of the small pile of letters.

"Now young Bun or I'm tossing you into the sink and washing you myself!"

Trisha's ears fell behind her head, knowing full well that this was no idle threat. Trisha quickly darted from the kitchen, already unbuttoning her pajama top. There was a surprised yelp from the hallway seconds later.

"Mom Trisha is running around the house naked again!" Came one of Trisha's brothers.

"I know," Peggy grumbled from the kitchen.

"Why is this accepted as normal behavior? This is not normal behavior!" Trisha's brother Marcus shouted.

"For Trisha weird stuff is normal," Came another voice.

"I am only weird because I have weird brothers!" Trisha shouted before a door closed down the hall.

"I swear that bun of mine," Peggy mumbled, but her lips curled. She had to admit that though Trisha was a bit odd and mischievous she absolutely loved her daughter and her free spirit. While some mothers bragged about their daughters being well behaved little princesses who played dress up Peggy proudly defended her little tombun who would come home covered in mud and sticks but with the biggest smile on her face. While the other mothers complained about little squabbles their daughters were having with other does or bucks Peggy would get phone calls from parents how their kits wanted Trisha to spend the night or maybe have a playdate soon. She especially found it amusing since it wasn't just coming from bunny families but species of all shapes and sizes. Trisha had never really seen mammals for their species but for how much fun they could all have together or how nice they were…or how much fun she could have pestering them.

A few minutes later Peggy heard a Trisha hurrying down the hall again. She turned to smile at Trisha only to roll her eyes, the brown bunny looked like a giant puffball wrapped up in a towel.

"Trisha! You aren't even dressed," Peggy chuckled.

Trisha had obviously just jumped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her tiny frame. A proud look on her face as her bright blue eyes went to her mother.

"I believe the orders were to take a shower, the rest of the instructions were unclear," Trisha said with a smirk.

"Can we sell her at the next garage sale?" Came one of Trisha's brothers down the hall.

A few minutes later Peggy had finished up her tasks in the kitchen and was sitting on Trisha's bed as she brushed her daughter's fur. Trisha sat between her mother's legs, still wrapped in a towel, with her attention on the postcards in her paws.

The first one had an image of a giant carrot with a blue ribbon on it. The postal mark said it had been stamped at the BunnyBurrow post office. The handwriting was actually rather neat and written in a somewhat clumsy cursive, the writer still learning how to make the letters swirl together.

 _Dear Trisha,_

 _Thank you for the last postcard. The aquarium in Manta Bay looks amazing. I mentioned the science camp to my parents but they said that we have to save money for the farm since one of the tractors is on its last legs. Sarah and I will try and save our allowances for next year. She is really excited and wants to see you. Hopefully, we can come and visit you in the summer!_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Judy Hopps_

 _P.S._

The next line of text was in a different paw and Trisha wiggled excitedly knowing it had come from her favorite multi-colored bunny.

 _Hi Trisha! I miss you a lot. Please come here soon!_

 _Sarah._

Trisha let out a sad sigh as her ears drooped.

"What's wrong my little blue bun?" Peggy asked as she leaned down and nuzzled the top of Trisha's head.

"Judy and Sarah can't make it to the camp…" Trisha informed her mother with a sad sigh as she closed her eyes.

The Manta Bay Aquarium Science Camp was the camp was the place to go to whenever it was available. They normally had classes during certain school breaks. The winter camp was rather short but fun as they learned about the arctic regions of the globe.

The spring camp was even more fun as the campers were taken out on a boat to sail the bay while a counselor told them all about the deep trench that sat at the bottom of the bay. They would also explore the shores and looked at the different ecosystems that had developed around the water's edge. Sometimes they would be taken to an old lighthouse which had a series of buildings nearby that were dedicated to studying the sea. Of course, the big event was the sleepover at the end of the camp. The campers would bring sleeping bags and the likes and get to stay overnight in the aquarium in front of the large tanks. Many of the campers enjoyed falling asleep as they watched the many different sea creatures lazily swim by.

Sure it was Spring break and most mammals would want to be out visiting theme parks or sleeping in. The Manta Bay Spring Camp though was actually a lot of fun and had an array of activities. Plus most of the local kits went so it was a chance to hang out with friends.

Oh, and who could forget the junk food? Pizza, beetle burgers, and tons of sweets. While the brochure promised balanced meals everyone knew what was really on the menu. Most of the parents not caring if their kits and pups had a little bad food during their camp.

Trisha had invited both Nick and Judy to come to Manta Bay to take part in the camp. While she used the camp as an excuse there were some other reasons she wanted them to come over. While she had been sending each of them postcard after postcard the other two had really not been talking very much. Trisha had a feeling as to why because every time she wrote to one of them asking about the other the topic was brushed aside.

 _They like like each other! I know it! Just have to get them to know it too!_

Trisha flipped to the other postcard in her paw. The image was of a giant palm tree. Only upon closer inspection did Trisha realize it was actually a giant building in the shape of a palm tree.

The writing on this postcard was far messier than Judy's. But that was to be expected when getting a note from a boy. Trisha had grown used to messily written notes from boys. One boy in particular. She had saved every one of those notes from the cute painted dog in her class. Hiding them in a lunchbox in her room that she knew her mother would never find. Peggy, however, had found it after the first week. She just neglected to tell her daughter about it. Of course, Peggy did enjoy discussing it with Delta's mother. The two gushing over how cute puppy love was.

 _Dear Trisha,_

 _Thanks for the invitation to the Aquarium camp. We don't have anything like that here in Zootopia. I talked to my mom and I am afraid I can't go. She says we just can't afford it right now. I am planning on picking up a paper route and saving so I can join you all next year. Is Judy coming this year? If she is will you tell her Hi for me? Can't wait to hear about how it goes._

 _-Nick Wilde._

While the news about Nick not making it to the camp as well was disheartening Trisha felt her heart begin to race.

 _He mentioned Judy! He did! He likes likes her! Oh my gosh, we need them to get together._

"Nick can't make it either?" Peggy asked, having read some of the postcards over her daughter's shoulder before brushing Trisha's brown fur.

"No, said he can't afford it," Trisha said sadly. "But he is gonna try and save money for next year. They both are."

"Sometimes families have to save their money sweetie, it doesn't make them bad mammals they just need to-" Peggy began but noticed how Trisha's ears raised.

"Save money…" Trisha mumbled. "Raise money…"

"Trisha, I know that ear stance," Peggy said playfully.

Trisha got up and turned to her mother with a wicked smile on her pretty face.

"Mom, do we have any lemons?"

Winter was still lingering in the air over Manta Bay. Light gray clouds covered the skies and the occasional rain shower was not only possible but expected daily. During the months closer to summer the city would see more blue skies but during the winter the sun didn't have many chances to shine down and warm up the residents of the seaside city.

Even though the weather was somewhat miserable it didn't stop mammals from going about their days. Many residents had grown used to the clouds and how they would block out the rays of light from the sun.

"Trisha…" Emily grumbled, the fox leaning back in her small folding chair that she had dragged from home so she could sit behind a wooden booth that had been hastily assembled on a street corner in their neighborhood. "It's like 60 degrees out…"

"Your point?" Trisha asked as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, scanning the sidewalk for potential customers.

"My point…." Emily groaned as she stretched her arms upwards before looking at her friend. "We should be selling something warm not.."

"Lemonade is all I could make on short notice," Trisha shot back as she turned to wink at Emily. Her small brown body was bundled up in a winter jacket and baggy jeans, obviously paw me downs from one of her brothers.

"I know but…Trish seriously.." Emily let out a sigh as she looked at their tip jar which only contained a pawful of coins.

"Don't you wanna see your cousin again?" Trisha asked as she skipped over and wiggled her body up onto the small folding chair Emily was currently occupying. The fox chuckled as she opened her arms and helped the small bunny up onto her lap, wrapping her friend up in a hug. The bunny kept her eyes on the street, hoping to find another customer.

"I do, I love spending time with Nick," Emily explained as she put her head between the bunny's ears which were currently high in the air, hoping to pick up someone's pawsteps. "But the camp is way out of our range. I mean even if we pool our allowances together.."

"Don't be so negative," Trisha shot back.

"I'm just being realistic."

"Maybe we should rob the bank," Trisha suggested playfully as she started to kick her feet back and forth.

"Or maybe we should think of something else to sell," Emily suggested. "So I can get why we need Nick here. But what about Judy. Don't get me wrong she seems nice but is there some other reason?"

"No reason," Trisha said as she wiggled in Emily's arms, getting a little more comfortable.

"You sure?"

"Yup…"

"Nothing to do with you wanting to date Delta but are worried because you don't want to be the only canine bunny couple?" Emily said simply. She smirked when he felt Trisha tense up in her arms

A skunk from their class came walking around the corner and froze when he saw the lemonade stand.

"Matt!" Trisha shouted as she wriggled free of Emily's grasp. "Come buy some lemonade!"

"I bought some this morning," The skunk said as he tried to beat a hasty retreat.

"That was then, you're thirsty now I can tell!" Trisha shouted as she chased after the skunk who tried but failed to escape, a defeated look on his face when Trisha leaped on his back and pinned him to the grass next to the sidewalk. Of course, pinned wasn't the best word since the bunny was small and light the skunk could have easily escaped but he knew better than to try and run from Trisha, sometimes it was best to just play dead.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at her friend's antics. The doe pleading with her skunk friend to buy more lemonade. While Emily did want to help her cousin Nick get a ticket to the spring camp she had her suspicions as to why Trisha was so dedicated to this cause. She had a feeling it had something to do with a certain event that had happened at school a few weeks prior.

"Emily tell Trisha I already bought some lemonade!" Matt shouted from the grass as Trisha crossed her legs and sat down on the skunks back.

"Don't know Matt…" Emily said with a mischievous grin. "You do look kind of thirsty."

In another part of the neighborhood, three painted dogs stood patiently in front of a door. Each of them was gifted with a different color for their fur pattern. One of them had the standard dark brown like most painted dogs. One had a red tint, while the other seemed to be more gifted with white splotches. Though they were all part of the same litter they were each their own unique individual.

The one with the darkest of fur reached up and rang the doorbell before taking a step back and standing in front of the door that was almost as tall as him, the residents obviously being of a small class size.

A prairie dog opened the door and smiled up at the three canines before him.

"Good afternoon sir," the first painted dog began in a polite and formal manner. "My name is Delta. My brother, sister, and I are trying to raise money for some friends to go to the Aquarium camp coming up. We were wondering if you have any chores or housework you need done?"

The prairie dog took a sip from the coffee mug in his paw and gave them a pensive look as he thought things over.

"Honey, who is it?" Came a lovely voice from inside the home.

"Its Larry's pups," The prairie dog shouted over his shoulder. He then turned to look at the three canines patiently waiting on his porch. "Hey, I keep forgetting to ask your father. What's with the names?"

"Names sir?" Bravo, the painted dog with the red tint to his fur asked.

"I don't think I understand," Echo chimed in.

"Honey!" A lovely prairie dog came running down the hall and put a paw forcefully on her husband's shoulder. "Remember, we don't ask those questions!"

"Oh geez I'm sorry pups," The embarrassed mammal exclaimed while looking at the three unphased painted dogs before him. A look of revelation came over his face just seconds later. "Wait I think I have something."

"Sir?" Delta asked excitedly, his tail swishing slightly.

"How good are you all at painting fences?"

"Honey! Did you just ask painted dogs if they were good at painting?"

"I have 5 bucks extra for each of you if you forget what I said here today along with payment if you paint the fence."

"Make it 6," Echo said with a smirk.

Ten minutes later the three painted mammals were standing next to a fence that was roughly all their heights. It would only take them a short while to paint but that didn't stop Bravo from bringing up what he and his sister were both thinking.

"Delta, what day is it?" The red tinted dog asked as he dunked his paintbrush in one of the open cans and then brought it to the weather-worn fence.

Delta's ears flicked and he tilted his head as he looked at his brother, "Its Saturday. How did you forget?"

"Oh, it's Saturday?" Bravo asked as he turned to look at his brown furred brother. "Then why are we here on our day off when we should be curled up watching cartoons with the rest of our pack?!"

"Don't forget about Service-" Delta began.

"Don't you use that Service over Self junk! You don't get to use that card every time you want to impress that bunny from school."

"Ohhhhhhhh." Echo teased as her tail began to sway. "Tell 'em Bravo."

Delta growled at his siblings but grinned all the same.

"Just saying, I think sis and I have earned an explanation," Bravo pointed out as he put his paintbrush down and crossed his arms.

"Yeah!" Echo said as she stuck out her tongue.

"Well Trisha wants to raise money so Nick and Judy can join us at the spring camp this year," Delta said calmly as he continued painting his part of the fence.

"Trisha," Both Echo and Bravo said in unison as they gave each other knowing looks before looking back at their brother in a smug manner.

Delta took in a deep breath before putting his own paintbrush down and looking at his fellow painted canines.

"You like her?" Echo asked with a wink.

"Why does it matter?" Delta asked as he threw his paws in the air.

"Well if ya don't then I guess we can just head back and watch some cartoons," Bravo said as he turned to his sister and nodded.

Before the two painted dogs could leave however their brother stepped forward, "Wait!"

Both Bravo and Echo stopped to stare at their brother.

"So…a few weeks ago…" Delta began.

Across the city inside the glass ceiling platform of the Manta Bay Train station, a pair of wolves disembarked an old silver train car. The pair were still in the same conversation they had been when they entered the city limits.

"I just can't believe him ya know?" One of the she-wolves asked with a depressed tone in her voice. Though lovely in figure the poor gray furred creature's eyes were red and irritated as if she hadn't slept in days. Her companion reached out and gave her friend a gentle pat on the back.

"Listen, Becky," The black wolf of the pair began as she tried to comfort her friend. "Males are idiots. I know he meant a lot to you but he is an idiot and doesn't deserve an awesome wolf like you."

"I know Mallory, its just….I needed the comfort is all," Becky began to explain. "Like you and Nate have."

"Well, Nate is pretty awesome."

Becky looked at her friend who winced.

"But don't worry, I am sure you will find someone soon, someone who will realize what an amazing…smart…" Mallory trailed off as they passed a small makeshift A-frame sign.

A painted dog with a kind of yellow tint to his fur stood by the sign, an open mouth smile on his face as he waved at passing travelers. Several mammals stared at the young painted pup and chuckled. Most weren't sure what was more amusing. The painted dog's happy expression or the sign that said: Hugs $1!

Mallory closed her eyes and chuckled, shaking her head as she continued down the train platform.

"Worse comes to worse we can come back and buy you a hug," Mallory giggled at her own comment but suddenly noticed just how quiet Becky had become. After a second of silence, the black wolf turned to her friend who was oddly absent. "Becky?"

After looking from side to side Mallory finally turned around and had to stifle her laughter. Back next to the A-frame sign was her friend who had her arms wrapped around the small painted dog who was shaking with excitement as he held the larger female wolf around the waist. Becky must have heard her friend and looked up, a light blush on her face.

"I paid for 5 hugs, so you're just gonna have to wait!" The gray wolf called out before nuzzling into the painted pup once more who snorted with happiness.

Much to Mallory's surprise, a line started to form up behind Becky. Before the line got too long, however, Mallory slipped into the queue. Deciding to see if the hug was really worth paying for.

It was.

It wasn't until the next week that the group of hard working kits managed to get together. Trisha inviting her friends over to her place for lunch which Peggy happily provided. All of their parents had been somewhat proud of their little ones for taking on such a selfless endeavor. So much so that they decided to pitch in the difference if the gang couldn't raise enough. This was a last resort though. It had been Delta's parents who pitched the idea, wanting to reward the group for such hard work and service. Peggy and Jean, of course, were more than happy to agree to the terms. Atom's mother had gushed to all of them when she found out what her little pup had done, having gotten a call from a family friend about what Atom had been up to at the train station.

"I swear he is just too sweet. I need to go with my camera next time!" The painted dog squealed over the phone when she spoke to Trisha and Emily's mothers.

"Peggy you should to get pictures of them counting the money," Jean suggested. "This needs to go in the scrapbook."

"Oh, I like that idea!"

"Mom!" Trisha groaned after what felt like the 4th picture had been taking. "We are trying to eat here!"

"Oh hush and scoot closer to Delta so I can get a picture for his parents," Peggy insisted.

Both Trisha and Delta's eyes went wide, neither of them looking at one another. Delta scooted a little over on the floor and Trisha did the same.

Emily and Atom watched, a pair of smug smirks spreading across their lips.

"Say cheese!" Peggy instructed.

The two embarrassed looking mammals looked at the camera and smiled. A flash temporarily blinding them as Peggy snapped a picture.

Once she was satisfied she had gotten enough pictures and had thoroughly embarrassed her daughter Peggy retreated to the other room, leaving the group to enjoy the sandwiches she had made them.

"Ok, so now that that is over," Trisha grumbled, neglecting to scoot away from Delta, their legs pressed against one another.

"I think that was a cute picture, what about you Atom?" Emily asked with a smug smile. A bag of chips landed on the side of her head and fell to the floor.

"Dang almost made that one," Trisha chuckled.

Emily snorted, even though she had been smacked with a bag of chips it was well worth making the small brown bunny blush, a light red going up the inside of the doe's ears.

"So Emily and I managed to raise some money, it's not much…" Trisha admitted as she pulled a wad of crumpled up money out of a jar that had been resting next to her.

"Told ya we should have done hot chocolate instead," Emily grumbled as she nibbled at her PB and j sandwich, a small amount of jelly smearing on her muzzle. She licked her lips and enjoyed the sweet taste.

"Yeah yeah yeah," Trisha rolled her bright blue eyes as she began to organize the money into a smile stack. "What about you Delta?"

"Well.." Delta pulled out some money from his pocket and pawed it over to Trisha. Their paws touched for a moment, both of them enjoying the contact even if it just lasted for a second.

Emily noticed how quickly the two pulled away from one another and rolled her eyes. She leaned close to Atom who was munching on some chips, his tail wagging happily.

"Ever since the library incident, it's been so weird with them," Emily whispered.

Atom nodded and let out a soft snort.

"I heard that," Trisha grumbled as she pointed at her ears which were raised up.

"Good," Emily teased and stuck out her tongue.

Trisha let out a sigh as she counted what Delta added to the fund. The painted dog admitted that some of the money the painted dogs had raised already went to Bravo and Echo which was only fair. His siblings however still chipped in some of their earnings for the cause which Delta had been grateful for. They had raised some money but sadly it was nowhere near enough.

Trisha looked over at Atom and gave the dog a somewhat sad smile. There was no way they would be able to earn enough.

"What about you Atom?" Trisha asked, giving the canine a warm smile though she didn't hold out much hope.

Her attitude changed however with how happy Atom suddenly became. She wasn't sure if it was because she had said his name or that he had just found an extra large chip in his bag of snacks.

The painted dog reached behind him and opened up his backpack. The three other mammals sat and watched patiently, all of them expecting the canine to produce a small amount of cash. Atom however simply lifted the bag over the small pile of money and turned it over.

One would have thought Atom had robbed a bank with the amount of money that poured out of the bag. Coins, singles, even a fiver all came pouring out.

All of them remained speechless as they stared at the pile. As one they all looked at Atom who had resumed munching on his lunch that Peggy had made him, a look of happiness on his light furred face.

Trisha was the first one to react to the sudden change of events. She propelled herself through the air and collided with the painted dog who had raised so much money. She tried her best to contain herself but tears of joy stained her cheeks as she nuzzled into the canine who happily returned the embrace as he wrapped his arms around her and shook with excitement.

"Atom thank you!" Trisha said happily.

Atom let out a snort in reply as he nuzzled into the doe.

"Atom there is enough for Nick and Judy!" The fox exclaimed as she began to sort through the money, a look of disbelief on her face.

"Sarah too!" Delta added, shocked that his fellow painted dog had raised so much just by hugging mammals.

Trisha let go of Atom and turned to inspect the pile of money her friends were now busily organizing and counting. Her bright blue eyes shimmered as she looked at what would surely be enough money for Nick, Judy, and Sarah to join them for the camp.

Her attention, however, went back to Atom who began to tap her shoulder. The doe turned to look at the canine whose bright yellow eyes and equally bright smile made her nose wiggle. Atom made a series of signs with his paws, the canine being mute meant he could only translate using paw language. Trisha, however, didn't quite understand the odd series of signs and looked over at Delta.

"Delta?" Trisha said sweetly. The painted dog's ears twitched and he looked up at the brown bunny who nodded over her shoulder.

Delta tilted his head and watched as Atom made the paw signs again and snorted.

Trisha turned to look back at Atom who held up a small glass jar with a cash sign painted on it and began to realize what was happening.

"Atom says that will be one dollar," Delta laughed, Emily joining in as they looked over at the stunned bunny who rolled her eyes.

-Bunny Burrow-

"Sarah quit splashing!" Judy snorted as she tried to control her younger sister who seemed more interested in tossing the dirty dishes in her paws into the sink to create even bigger splashes.

"Tsunami!" Sarah exclaimed as she tossed another dirty dish into the sink.

Judy looped her paws around the smaller doe and started to lift her up.

"Wonder how big a wave you would make?" Judy teased as she moved her little sister towards the sink, the multi-colored Doe's eyes going wide as she squirmed in her sister's arms.

"No!" Sarah exclaimed in a mix of terror but the laughter coming from her small body betrayed just how much fun she was having with her older sister.

Several of their siblings looked up from their chores around the kitchen. Most of them remaining quiet or giving the pair of bunnies at the sink odd looks. Sarah being a quad furred doe meant she had multiple colors of fur gracing her body. Sadly this was considered a bit of a taboo by some of her siblings who would normally give the bunny a wide berth out of fear of attracting bad luck. Recently things hadn't been so bad though. After returning from Manta Bay with a king-sized candy bar Sarah had been seen as some conquering hero. Many of her siblings suddenly weren't so cold to her. While some were still apprehensive of the bunny the mood in the burrow towards the small bunny had changed for the better.

"Mom!" Sarah squeaked as Judy continued to try and lift the smaller bunny into the large sink filled with various dishes.

"Judy!" Bonnie said from another sink nearby. Having so many mouths to feed meant a lot of dishes were dirtied during meals. The kitchen was outfitted with several sinks so more dishes could be done at once.

Judy's ears drooped a little bit, having been caught by her mother.

"This sink doesn't have as many dishes, let's toss her here instead," Bonnie said as she came over and picked up her multi-colored daughter.

"What?! Nooooo!" Sarah moaned as she tried to wiggle free from her mother who nuzzled her cheek against her sweet daughter.

Judy couldn't help but laugh as she watched her mother and younger sister struggle. It was obvious Bonnie had no intention of dunking her daughter but it didn't stop Sarah from trying to get free only to let out a soft purr as she was nuzzled by her loving mother.

It didn't matter to Bonnie how many colors were on Sarah's fur. To her, Sarah was a beautiful little angel and deserved such affection, even if only a few siblings gave it to her.

The phone began to ring in the kitchen, Judy skipping over to the small light pink device and answering as she had been taught.

"Hopps residents, This is Judy, may I ask who is calling?"

"Oh hi sweetie, it's Peggy, Trisha's mom," Came a sweet voice on the other end of the phone.

"Mrs. Rose? How are you doing ma'am?" Judy asked excitedly. "How is Trisha?"

"I am doing well sweetie thanks for asking, Trisha is also doing well and wanted to talk to you in a bit. But first is your mother there? I have to discuss something with her."

Judy put a paw on the phone and looked at her mother who had set Sarah down and was helping the smaller bunny dry some dishes.

"Mom, it's Trisha's mom, Mrs. Rose."

Bonnie tilted her head slightly and dried her paws as she approached.

"Thanks, sweetie," Bonnie said as she took the phone and patted her daughter's head. "Peggy, how are you dear?"

Judy watched her mother who looked down at the small gray doe and smiled before nodding back to the sink where Sarah was waiting with more dishes. Judy rolled her eyes but nodded none the less, always one to do her chores and help her siblings out. While she tried to focus on helping Sarah she couldn't help but keep an ear tired towards her mother. Sadly only hearing one side of the conversation meant she was only getting half the story.

"Oh Peggy that is far too generous but we couldn't possibly…. She did? They did? Oh, my goodness if that isn't the sweetest thing! You have to be kitting. Oh, Peggy, they didn't have to do that. Oh, bless their hearts. Sarah too? Oh, now that is far too generous. But I couldn't possibly put you out like that. No, you have been…are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble? Peggy, I don't know what to say. This is just too much! Would you put your daughter on for me?"

Judy suddenly perked up knowing that Trisha was about to be put on the phone. She couldn't help but take a few steps towards her mother who looked rather moved.

"Trisha? Hi sweetie it's Bonnie. I will put Judy on here in a second but I wanted to tell you that you are so very sweet for doing this and it will mean so much to the girls. Now I want you to know whenever you want to come out here to Bunnyburrow you just say the word… of course your friends as well. Sweetie this was just so very nice of you. Thank you! Okay here is Judy."

Bonnie handed the phone to Judy and smiled at her daughter, "Now you best thank Trisha for what she and her friends did for you. And don't let her hang up because your sister has to say thank you too."

Judy tilted her head in slight confusion before putting the phone to her ears.

"Trisha?" Judy asked excitedly.

"Judy! Pack your sleeping bag! We have a science camp to go to!"

-Zootopia-

Nick tossed his backpack on the couch. Having just returned from a rather depressing day at school the poor tod needed something to eat. Lately, the fox had been in a bit of a rut. It had all started because of Trisha. Well, that wasn't fair. It wasn't the bunny's fault. She had however…well… Nick had really wanted to go to that camp and ever since she had mentioned it all he could think about was joining his friends from Manta Bay at the camp. He had a feeling Trisha would be inviting a certain gray bunny as well. Sadly his mom said they couldn't afford it. This was understandable. His mother already worked so hard to keep them comfortable it wouldn't be fair of him to ask for her to pay for this camp when she already worked so many hours. Plus he already felt bad for the whole junior scout's thing. She had worked so hard to buy him that uniform only to have it not work out.

Nick wanted to pay for the camp himself so he had tried to get a paper route. When that didn't work he tried to get a flyer job. When that didn't work he tried asking some of his classmates for advice. They had been less than helpful. After the scouts incident, Nick had become somewhat of an outcast at school. Most of the mammals in his classes seeing him as just a sly fox that couldn't be trusted even though he hadn't even done anything to earn such a reputation.

If Trisha hadn't mentioned the camp then maybe he wouldn't be feeling so down. These thoughts only made him angrier though. It wasn't the brown bunny's fault. She had been nothing but nice to him and yet every time he thought of her standing there with a smug smile. He closed his eyes and took a breath. The only problem was whenever Trisha popped in his mind she didn't stay for long. Mainly because another bunny would appear. Her fur was a storm cloud gray and her eyes…oh gosh those beautiful purple eyes. The way they fluttered opened and looked at him.

Nick shook his head. There was no point dwelling on such things.

When the young fox arrived in the kitchen he noticed a note was waiting for him on the fridge. With his mother working so much this was there main way of communicating. The vixen leaving notes with requests for chores or messages on how she would be working late.

This note was no different.

 _Going to be home late. Picked up an extended shift. Dinner is in the fridge. It's Beatle burgers!_

 _I will check on you when I get home. Please take care of the dishes and you can stay up an extra half-hour watching TV._

 _Call your cousin Emily in Manta Bay. She wants to talk to you. Number is by the phone._

 _Love,_

 _Mom_

Nick smiled at the thought of having his favorite dinner and getting to watch a little extra TV. However what made him smile even more was the request about his cousin. He enjoyed talking to Emily. The pair having grown very close since his visits to the seaside city.

He walked over to the small black phone plugged into the wall and dialed the number left on a note next to it.

On the second ring, his aunt answered.

"Nick sweetie how have you been?" his aunt Jean asked kindly.

"I'm good Auntie Jean," Nick lied. "My mom said to call Emily."

"Oh yes, that's right one sec." There was a pause before he heard his aunt shout. "Emily! Your cousin Nick is on the phone for you!"

Seconds later Nick heard a series of scrambling noises before his cousin answered, the young vixen sounding winded.

"Hey, Nicky!" Emily said happily. "So guess what!?"

* * *

 **Finally a new chapter. See I told ya I had new material coming. We just had to repost the originals in here first so we have that build up. Speaking of build-ups are you all excited to go to the Science Camp with the gang? I know we didn't get a ton of WildeHopps in this one but trust me the next one will be filled with some amazingly cute moments. I hope to have the next chapter done for you all soon since spring has pretty much wrapped up already.**

 **I already have plans for the next big holiday event! :D**

 **Come on back to Manta Bay soon!**

 **-Blue**


	4. Scientific Spring Part 2

-Scientific Spring Part 2-

"Be sure to offer to clear the table while you are there," Bonnie said as she brushed at Sarah's ears, the small doe fidgeting slightly, both in annoyance and excitement as she sat on her mother's lap.

"Yes mom," Judy said, repeating the same two words she had been for the past few minutes as her mother listed off ideas about how to be good burrow guests when they arrived in Manta Bay. The doe sat next to her mother but her gaze was directed out the window as their train car sped past the cloud covered fields outside.

Roughly a week ago Judy had gotten an exciting phone call from one of her new friends in the seaside city of Manta Bay. Trisha and her friends had worked together to raise money so Judy and Sarah could come and partake in a science camp that was taking place at the local aquarium. Judy had all but written off the camp and the chances of going this year. Money was tight when you had 274 brothers and sisters. The Hopp's family was not poor mind you, it just took a lot of time, money, and planning to keep both the farm running and the family fed.

Things like camps were not brought up often and most of the kits didn't mind that at all. With so many siblings it was easy to find fun games to play to pass the time.

Judy and Sarah, however, were lucky enough to be friends with a brown bunny who wanted to spend time with them. So much so that Trisha had shanghaied her friends into performing various tasks in order to raise money.

"Oh and in the morning be sure to fold up your sleeping bags so they don't take up space," Bonnie instructed.

A large wolf in a conductor's uniform lumbered through the train car which caught Bonnie's attention. The canine gave the bunnies a friendly smile before speaking.

"Ma'am you are heading to Manta Bay correct?"

Bonnie nodded quickly.

"We will be entering the city limits in roughly 5 minutes."

"Oh thank you, sir," Bonnie said, letting out a sigh of relief.

Being a bunny from BunnyBurrow meant seeing larger canines was rare. There were only 3 families of them in the small town so most of the smaller species weren't used to coming into contact with them very often.

"Were almost there?" Sarah squeaked happily as she scrambled off her mothers lap and joined Judy at the large window. The pair of bunnies pressed their faces to the glass and watched as they traveled closer and closer to their destination.

While not nearly as large as Zootopia, Manta Bay was not some small town like BunnyBurrow. The city had several skyscrapers spread across its limits. Some of the buildings only looked tall as they had been built into the side of the cliffs that sat next to the dark water of the bay. The city was covered in a series of dark gray clouds that matched Judy's fur perfectly. So much so that Sarah looked to the sky and then her older sister, poking the bunnies fur before pointing back to the sky.

Judy giggled and wrapped a stormy colored arm around her sibling and brought her close into a hug.

Since neither Sarah nor Judy had ever visited Zootopia, Manta Bay seemed like a giant sprawling metropolis to the farmland bunnies. Their eyes both were wide with wonderment as they whizzed by a series of large warehouses that could easily fit their own home 10 times over, burrow and all.

Unlike BunnyBurrow the Manta Bay train station sat in the center of the city. The tracks went right over several streets before leveling out and coming into a large glass structure. Two other trains sat idling in the station as their own arrived. Many mammals were seen moving around, some getting ready to depart, others disembarking and heading off into the city.

"I see them!" Sarah squeaked excitedly as she wiggled in Judy's arms.

Judy scanned the platform, it didn't take long however to see their hosts.

Trisha was dressed in a dark blue hoodie and baggy shorts. Her mother Peggy was wearing a pair of jeans and a light blue blouse. It wasn't the clothing that caught Sarah's attention. No, it was the bouncing brown bunny who was leaping as high as her small legs would let her as she waved with both arms at the three bunnies from BunnyBurrow.

Judy and Sarah both waved eagerly out the window as their train came to a slow halt. Bonnie busied herself with gathering their things.

"Well are you two just gonna wave at your friend or are you going to go give her a proper greeting?" Bonnie asked her daughter's with a friendly smile.

Since Manta Bay was just one of the stops on the trains schedule only a pawful of mammals actually disembarked. The narrow aisle of the train car was devoid of traffic which allowed Judy and Sarah to hurry out of their train car.

Once on the platform, it was just a quick run over to Trisha who met them halfway, the bunny giggling excitedly as Sarah leapt up into the bunnies arms. Judy was close behind her sister and didn't hesitate to hug Trisha with Sarah giggling happily in the middle, the smaller multicolored doe squished between her sister and her friend.

"I'm so excited you're here!" Trisha exclaimed as she nuzzled her cheek against Judy's before nuzzling into Sarah.

Bunnies were rather affectionate mammals so the greeting was somewhat common. That didn't stop several passing mammals from making a few comments about the adorable scene shared between the three bunnies.

While the three younger does embraced Bonnie walked over followed closely by an antelope in an official-looking uniform who was pushing a cart with a wooden crate and various bags piled on it.

"Bonnie, so good to see you," Peggy said warmly as she strolled over and gave the Hopps mother a friendly hug.

"Peggy I can't thank you enough for letting the girls stay with you all," Bonnie said as she gave Peggy a friendly peck on the cheek.

"Oh it's no problem at all Bonnie," Peggy said with a simple wave of the paw.

"And you," Bonnie said as she turned to look at Trisha who was busy twirling Sarah around so the smaller bunny's legs lifted off the ground.

Trisha stopped and gave Bonnie a nervous smile, worried she may have been a little too rough with Sarah who was laughing happily.

"Come here you sweet sweet bun," Bonnie said warmly as she opened her arms

Trisha's bright blue eyes widened happily as she set Sarah down and hurried over to Bonnie who lifted Trisha up and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek, Trisha squeaking happily.

"Thank you so much, Trisha, for doing this for my girls," Bonnie said as she ran a paw down Trisha's ears and stared into the young doe's eyes.

Trisha didn't know it but this had meant so much for Bonnie because while she loved Judy having a chance at the camp, Sarah needed it most of all. The younger doe had missed so many good memories simply because of a dumb taboo about her fur. The fact that Trisha not only included Sarah but actually wanted her there meant so much to Bonnie.

"Of course Mrs. Hopps."

"Bonnie, sweetie," Bonnie whispered kindly.

"Of course Auntie Bonnie," Trisha replied with a giggle.

Just like that Trisha found a way to form a bond with the older doe and she couldn't help but smile as she glanced over at Peggy who had a knowing smirk on her lips.

"Auntie Peggy!" Sarah squealed happily as she scampered over to Trisha's mother, arms wide as she prepared for a hug.

"Oh come here cutie," Peggy said as she took a knee and wrapped her arms around Sarah. She glanced at Judy and gave the gray doe a wink. Judy took the hint and walked over, receiving a hug from Trisha's mother as well.

"So are you spending the week or moving in?" Peggy asked as she glanced at the crate on the cart.

"Oh, I completely forgot," Bonnie said as she set Trisha down. The brown bunny had barely been on the ground for a second before Sarah hurried over and wrapped her arms around the brown bunny's waist and nuzzled into her. The two began a new hug session which caused Judy to laugh until she was grabbed by Trisha and held as well.

As the three girls renewed their little hug battle Bonnie thanked the antelope for helping retrieve their luggage and gave him a tip. The steward nodded and with a tip of his hat he turned and strolled away.

"So Stu and I wanted to thank you again for putting the girls up for this," Bonnie said as she patted the crate.

"Which is completely unnecessary because we are more than happy to have them," Peggy pointed out as she put a paw on her hip but smiled none the less.

"Well my husband being the thoughtful and stubborn type refused to let me come here without bringing you all some carrots and the likes from our harvest."

"Carrots?" Trisha managed to bark as she poked her head from the little pile of Hopps bunny affection.

"Oh, now ya did it," Peggy chuckled.

It may have been a bit of a stereotype but Trisha and many other bunnies loved carrots. It was a wonderful little snack for a growing bun, one that Trisha couldn't get enough of apparently.

Bonnie took a moment to open the crate and showed the different bags filled with various vegetables, all grown on the Hopp's family farm. Trisha tried to climb into the box at one point, her tail flicking back and forth excitedly. Peggy had to lift her mischievous little bunny up and set her back on the ground, explaining they could enjoy some snacks later. For now, it was best to get the girls settled back at their place.

"I helped pick them," Sarah said triumphantly.

Trisha beamed at Sarah and scooped the smaller bunny up and gave her a nuzzle on the cheek.

"Did you get me a big one?" Trisha asked playfully as the smaller colored doe giggled in her arms.

"The biggest!"

"She had trouble carrying a few of them they were so big," Judy pointed out as she watched her friend and sister playfully cuddle.

 _Does she ever get enough of hugging?_

"Judy helped too," Sarah pointed out.

Trisha's bright blue eyes popped opened and went right to Judy who gave a nervous smile. A second later the gray doe found herself with Trisha's cheek pressed against her own as she was once again wrapped up in a hug.

 _Apparently not…I like it._

It took them only a short while to exit the train station. Bonnie pushing the cart with the crate and bags on it while Peggy carried Bonnie's purse to help lighten the load. Trisha, Sarah, and Judy took the lead, all of them paw in paw as Trisha pointed out a few landmarks inside the station.

Judy tilted her head slightly when she noticed an A-frame sign that sat near one of the newsstands.

It had a few words hastily painted on it: Atom's Hugging station hours of operation.

Beneath it was a series of numbers. A lovely looking gray she-wolf was reading the sign and let out a sad sigh. A black wolf strolled over, having just bought a magazine from the newsstand.

"Says he isn't here today," The gray wolf said as she looked at her friend.

"Well we will be back tomorrow, maybe he will be open then and you can get another few hugs."

"I miss him already," The gray wolf said as she walked away with her friend. "Those really were the best hugs ever."

Judy looked back at Trisha, a questioning look on her face. Trisha simply smiled though.

"I'll tell ya later," The brown bunny said with a playful wink as she continued to skip along.

The Rose residence was a bit of a drive from the city center. The house sat at the end of a cul-de-sac surrounded by houses of all sorts of different shapes and sizes. The drive, however, wasn't very boring to Sarah and Judy who had their attention focused on the city outside the car for the bulk of the trip. Bonnie and Peggy sat in the front of the car, gossiping about various motherly topics. Sarah sat buckled up in the center with Trisha and Judy on either side of her. Judy couldn't help but notice how Trisha kept an arm around Sarah for most of the drive. The smaller bunny didn't mind though, she would occasionally look up at Trisha and giggle happily as she nuzzled into her friend.

Judy watched the two interact and felt so much joy for her sister. She didn't really act like this back home. She normally kept to herself, not wanting to cause trouble with her other siblings. To see her bubbly and wanting to cuddle with Trisha was so very uplifting. The feeling, however, doubled whenever Trisha smiled down at Sarah and suddenly wrapped her arms around her.

Once at Trisha's place they hefted everything from the car and brought it into the family living room. Peggy offering to fix everyone some sandwiches which the girls all excitedly agreed to. Bonnie wouldn't let Peggy do all the work though and insisted on helping. Since the next train to BunnyBurrow wouldn't be for a few hours Bonnie would be spending the afternoon in Manta Bay as well, something Peggy seemed more than happy about.

"Why don't you show the girls your room and then the guest room where they will be sleeping?" Peggy suggested as she started getting some plates out for lunch, Bonnie busied herself with cleaning a few carrots from the Hopp's farm crate, humming a sweet tune as she did.

"About that," Trisha said with a mischievous tone.

Peggy rolled her eyes and prepared for whatever Trisha was about to suggest.

"I would hate for them to be all nervous, staying in a new place and all," Trisha began as she walked over to her mother and tried to put on an innocent smile. "And it would be very rude of us as hosts to not be on their every beck and call.."

Peggy's eyelids drooped and she looked over at Sarah and Judy, "She wants to know if you two want to sleep in her room with her but she is such a weird bunny that she has to find a weird way of saying it."

Trisha's ears drooped but only for a second because Judy beamed, "That would be so much fun! Like a slumber party."

Trisha's head whipped around and the happiest of smiles was on her face as she wiggled with excitement.

"Slumber party?" Sarah asked as she tilted her head. "We get to party?"

Trisha giggled and nodded at the smaller bunny, "Gonna be the best kind."

"Whys that?"

"Because you are here."

Trisha was right about one thing, it was one of the best slumber parties, even if it only involved the three buns.

The day had gone by so quickly it felt like a blur. Peggy had driven Bonnie back to the train station. The older doe planting a kiss on each of her daughter's foreheads as she gave them last minute instructions about behaving themselves.

"Oh trust me, Bonnie," Peggy began as she grabbed her car keys, "I am sure they can't cause nearly as much trouble as Trisha normally does."

The brown bunny couldn't help but giggle at the look her mother gave her. Bonnie strolled over and gave Trisha one last hug and with that she headed out with Peggy, leaving the girls to their own devices.

As it turned out it looked like it would be an all-girls weekend. Trisha's father and brothers had gone off camping. Peggy had been invited since Trisha would be spending most of her time at the aquarium, the thought of having the house to herself was too much for the older doe to pass up. Peggy insisting she would be fine staying home and watching the girls.

While Peggy was dropping Bonnie off at the train station the girls had the house all to themselves and that's when it hit Judy. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in a house where at least a dozen kits were in view. Now though she found herself on a house that was strangely quiet. Well, that was till Trisha suggested they build a fort in the living room and watch afternoon cartoons. It took them a little while to get their fort assembled. Trisha disappeared for a few minutes and returned with her arms full of blankets, sheets, and a large carrot plushie which was almost the same size as Sarah.

To both Judy and Trisha's surprise, Sarah turned out to be a master fort builder. The smaller bunny mumbling a sweet tune as she started to push the couch cushions into the right position. She made herself right at home and went into the kitchen on her own and returned, pushing a chair right up to the couch so they could drape a sheet over it, making a ceiling for their fort.

"Sarah we really shouldn't be moving chairs," Judy tried to say but Trisha interrupted.

"OMG what a good idea Sarah!" the brown bunny squeaked happily. "Wait we need beanbags. Sarah, you keep working on the fort ok, we will be right back."

"Ok Trisha," Sarah said happily as she stood up on the couch and pulled an end of the sheet to adjust their new ceiling.

Trisha grabbed Judy by the paw and led her down the hallway. They came to a door with a big sign on it that read: Trisha stay out!

The brown doe ignored the sign and pushed the door open and lead Judy inside.

"We suppose to be in here?"

"Oh yeah, he didn't have time to set up any traps so he won't know," Trisha said, referring to her older brother. "Help me with the bean bag."

The bean bag was massive in size and would take both Trisha and Judy to move it.

"Trisha this thing is huge "

"I know right? Mom and dad got it for one of my brothers for Christmas, turns out they ordered the wrong size, think it was supposed to be for a wolf."

"I bet."

"Speaking of canines…"

Judy tensed up suddenly, she had a feeling this subject was going to be brought up but she had been hoping it wouldn't.

"What do you mean?" Judy tried to act innocent but Trisha saw right through it.

"Don't try and hide it," Trisha said as she grabbed one end of the beanbag and tried to drag it, her small body wasn't quite enough though. "You know I write to him too so I know neither of you has been writing each other."

"That's not true!" Judy said defensively as she grabbed the bean bag and began to help her friend. With her added strength they managed to get the bean bag moving, slowly though. "Sarah and I wrote him a thank you card for saving her from the snowball fight last time."

"And after that?"

Judy fell silent and her ears drooped.

"He's really nice ya know, he asks how everyone is doing, tells these cheesy jokes, one time he drew a picture for a fort we need to built for the next snow war."

"I know he is nice!" Judy said rather loudly which made Trisha chuckle.

"Then why don't you write him?"

"I…I um…"

There was a sudden crash from the living room. Both the gray and brown bunny stood up straight and froze as their ears went up.

"Sarah!" They yelled in unison as they darted from Trisha's brother's room.

 _Please be ok please be ok please be ok!_

Different scenarios played out in Judy's mind. Each one made her terrified as to what she was about to walk into. She wasn't worried about getting in trouble, no she was far more concerned for her little sister's safety.

 _Why did we leave her alone? Oh gosh, Sarah, I'm coming._

Judy was the first one around the corner, she had been running so fast she almost overshot the entryway. While her heart had been racing while running down the hall she felt a wave of relief when she saw her sister.

Sarah was looking at Judy nervously, having landed upside-down on a cushion. She had somehow gotten tangled up in a sheet and found herself a little tiled up.

"Uhh…he did it," Sarah said as she pointed over at the large carrot plushie sitting on a chair nearby.

"You ok Sarah?" Judy cooed as she hurried over and inspected her sister. There didn't appear to be any damage, but that didn't stop some tears to well up in Sarah's bright pink eyes.

"Yeah, sorry...I think I ruined our fort," Sarah said, her words shaking as she looked up at Judy apologetically.

"it's ok Sarah."

"Yeah don't worry Sarah," Trisha joined as she got on her knees in front of the upside-down bunny. "we can rebuild. You should see how many times Atom has come over and wrecked my forts."

Sarah calmed down before a meltdown could occur. She had obviously felt bad for messing the fort up but Judy and Trisha kept insisting she didn't do anything wrong.

Trisha helped Judy get Sarah untangled but stopped when the doe squeaked.

"No! Not there!" Sarah cried out suddenly when Trisha's paw brushed her side.

Trisha and Judy looked at one another with knowing looks.

"Why not there Sarah?" Trisha asked evilly.

"I think it's because someone is ticklish there." Judy joined in.

"No!" Sarah shouted as she tried to get free, still being tangled on the sheet meant she was trapped and at there mercy of the two older does. Mercy which she did not receive right away as Trisha began to run her paws up and down Sarah's sides, wriggling her digits against the smaller bunny who began to wheeze with laughter. "Judy help!"

Judy, however, was busy untangling one of Sarah's flailing feet, but not necessarily for innocent reasons. Soon the small multi-colored doe was laughing so hard her eyes were shut as her own sister betrayed her and began to tickle the underside of Sarah's large feet.

"This isn't fair!" Sarah cried out as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.

Luckily for Sarah Trisha was easily distracted. While Judy focused on her little sister's feet she had lost track of the mischievous brown bunny who was eyeing her with a pair of scheming bright blue eyes.

Judy's earshot up when she felt a pair of small paws reach under her arm and begin to tickle the fur beneath her own shirt.

"Ack! Trisha!" Judy yelped as she tried to press her arms to her sides in a vain attempt to stop the ticklish sensation already coursing through her.

Trisha, however, did not let up, Judy turned to see an evil grin on her friend's cute face, her tongue sticking out slightly to the side.

"What are you doing?!" Judy laughed as she tried to wriggle away.

Judy did her best to scramble over Sarah but had trouble, which just meant she was in Trisha's grasp that much longer. Sarah however intervened and managed to grab Trisha's ankles.

"Don't you dare!" Trisha said frantically as she tried to get away from Sarah who had suddenly turned the tables.

The house was filled with different bunny laughter as the three does found ways to tickle one another. Soon though the laughter died down as they had managed to wear one another out rather quickly. Trisha was laying on the ground outside the fort, Judy was face down on a cushion, and Sarah was still tangled up in a sheet, the small doe trying to figure out a way out quickly lest she fall victim to another attack.

The tickle fight, however, had come to an end and once Trisha had gotten her breath back she recruited Judy and Sarah to help her move the massive bean bag out of her brother's room. While Judy was helpful Sarah was not so much. The smaller bunny squealed when she saw the massive bean bag and belly flopped right into the center, wiggling around on the soft fabric. Trisha and Judy both rolled their eyes as they grabbed pawfuls of the beanbag and dragged it from the room. While Sarah wasn't exactly helpful when it came to moving the bean bag both the older bunnies agreed it was best to keep an eye on her.

By the time Peggy returned from dropping Bonnie off at the train station the three bunnies had managed to construct quiet the fort. Judy was impressed with their paw work until she heard the front door open. Her eyes went wide and her ears fell behind her head.

 _Oh gosh! Mom said to behave and we built a fort in the living room?! Peggy is gonna be so mad!_

Trisha, however, seemed unphased as she heard her mother stroll down the hallway. The brown bunny had Sarah wrapped up in her arms as the two looked straight ahead at the TV. Sarah being slightly smaller meant Trisha could easily rest her head on top of Sarah's, right between her black and white ears. Sarah had her paws resting on Trisha's arms, her mouth open as she stared at the TV which was currently playing an episode of Captain Carrot and Blueberry Boy!

"Which episode is it?" Peggy asked as she got on her paws and knees and crawled underneath the fort's ceiling.

To Judy's surprise Peggy was not at all angry about the fort, in fact, she acted like this was as common as finding them all curled up on the couch.

"It's the one with the robot pirates," Trisha said, not looking away from the screen.

"Oh I like that one," Peggy said as she found her way onto the bean bag. "Make room my little bunny builders."

Peggy took a seat in between Judy and Trisha and put her arms out on either side of the smaller does. She then brought Trisha in closer. The brown doe wiggling closer to her mother, bringing Sarah with her. Judy couldn't explain it but she felt comfortable with Peggy there. Though they weren't actually related she had been so warm and welcoming that she felt like family. Judy found herself nestled next to Peggy, her cheek resting on the taller doe's shoulder as a light brown arm gently went up and down Judy's own storm cloud gray one.

 _This is nice._

Judy looked over at Sarah who began to giggle happily while watching cartoons. Judy couldn't remember the last time she had seen Sarah so content.

 _This is really nice._

The rest of the day was a rather lazy but overall pleasant day. After watching some cartoons Peggy suggested that the girls stretch their legs before dinner. Trisha took Sarah and Judy on a quick stroll of the neighborhood. She pointed out where some of her classmates lived, a few of the trees she liked to climb, they even strolled past a park that Trisha promised to take them back to later.

"And where does Delta live?" Judy asked a playful smirk on her lips.

Trisha grinned at her friend and simply nodded down one of the streets they passed.

"5-minute walk that way," Trisha said, try as she might she couldn't help but let a light red blush go up her ears. A clear sign that certain feelings had come to mind. "Why, you want to visit him?"

"Yeah! I like Delta!" Sarah exclaimed, her bright pink eyes shining. "And Atom."

"Oh everyone loves Atom," Trisha said as she gave Sarah's paw a squeeze, the two having held paws the whole walk.

Once back home the girls were treated to a lovely vegetable dinner. Peggy having used the food that Bonnie had given them. To Judy's surprise though it didn't taste the same way it did when her own mother made. Peggy had glazed some of the carrots with a brown sugar that made them especially sweet. Judy tried to pace herself but everything tasted so good that she just had to have more. Trisha meanwhile was devouring everything on her plate and didn't hesitate to go for seconds.

"Judy please tell your parents thank you again for these wonderful vegetables," Peggy said as she scooped more onto Sarah's plate, the spotted bunny having finished her first serving rather quickly.

"Of course Aunt Peggy," Judy said happily.

"And thank you for picking out the best ones," Trisha said as she looked over at Sarah who beamed.

After dinner, the girls all showered and got dressed in their pajamas. Judy was somewhat surprised as to how early the Rose family turned in but she didn't question her hosts. They must have a reason to go to bed early. Of course the way Trisha acted one would think she liked to stay up late.

Once inside Trisha's room, Judy couldn't help but laugh at how random everything seemed to be. While most of her sisters liked to decorate their rooms with different band posters, pictures, or have a general theme going Trisha seemed to have trouble making up her mind.

There were a pawful of band posters, several posters of fish, one or two space shuttles, pictures of Trisha with friends, but the most interesting thing was a giant corkboard that almost took up one of the walls on its own. The board was covered with postcards. All of them different shapes and sizes with varying images on them.

Judy recognized one she had sent Trisha and took a few steps closer. A smile on her face gave away how much she appreciated seeing that Trisha had kept the postcard. She soon saw another one she had sent the brown bunny, then another, and another.

Trisha hadn't just kept one of them, she had kept them all!

"You like my collection?" Trisha asked as stepped up behind Judy and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist, putting her chin on Judy's shoulder.

"You kept them all?"

"Well duh!" Trisha giggled. "Didn't just keep yours though."

Trisha raised a paw and began to point to the different cards that covered the wall.

"That one is from a friend in a town called Fairfax. Those are from a brother and sister in Novato, those are from Deerbrook, oh that one is from this small town called Dutch Flats. It's just outside Fairfax, near the national parks."

Each postcard had a small story behind it and Judy could tell that Trisha enjoyed talking about each postcard and the mammal it was from.

"Those!" Trisha began as she pointed at the ones Judy had sent. "Are from this super sweet bunny in BunnyBurrow and her adorable sister."

Judy couldn't help but chuckle. She looked to her side and noticed Sarah who was reaching up and putting a paw on one of the cards with a giant redwood on it, the bunny smiled as her eyes went to the next card.

"Those are from this brave fox in Zootopia," Trisha continued.

Judy let her eagerness get the best of her as her head snapped back to where Trisha was pointing. The motion hadn't gone unnoticed by Trisha who giggled as she leaned closer to her friend.

"I keep you and his next to each other," She whispered teasingly.

"Shut up," Judy grumbled as she blushed. She put her paws on Trisha's arms none the less as she leaned back against her friend. "Thanks…"

"It wasn't hard, I just find some tacs lying around and then every time one of you sends me-"

"No," Judy interrupted her friend as she nuzzled her cheek against Trisha's. "For all this. For raising the money, for inviting Sarah, for just-"

It was Trisha's turn to interrupt Judy, "Its what friends do." With that, she gave Judy a sweet peck on the cheek. She then let go of Judy and turned to Sarah. "Uh oh!"

Sarah's ears fell behind her head and she looked around nervously, "Uh oh?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" The smaller bunny asked as she took a step closer to Trisha.

"Its…" Trisha said, building up the suspense. "The CLAW!"

Trisha had been hiding one of her paws behind her back but suddenly brought it right up in front of her face, curing her paw to make it look like a hook.

"The claw?" Sarah asked as she looked at Trisha and tilted her head.

Trisha leapt at Sarah and began her tickle attack on the unsuspecting mammal.

"Ah, Trisha no! Judy help!"

"Fear not citizen!" Judy said as she struck a pose. Both Sarah and Trisha turned to look at Judy, Trisha's eyes wide with delight. "For Captain Carrot is here!"

They all lost track of time as they bounced around Trisha's room. After Captain Carrots saved Sarah from the Claw the three of them sat around on Trisha's bed and chatted. Trisha brushing Sarah's fur as Sarah and Judy played cards. Judy couldn't help but notice how much fun Trisha seemed to be having with the Hopps girls. She had a feeling it had something to do with the fact she was the only girl in their family. Which meant she probably didn't get to do stuff like this very often.

"Alright girls," Peggy said as she opened the door to check on the three buns. "Gotta be up early tomorrow to be at the train station. Lights out."

"Train station?" Judy asked as she tilted her head.

"MOM!" Trisha shouted with a look of annoyance. "It was gonna be a surprise!"

"She doesn't know Nick is coming?"

Judy's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the fox's name. They had only met two times before but each time had left a lasting impression on the young doe.

"Well now she does," Trisha groaned.

"Nick?" Sarah asked as she tilted her head and looked back at Trisha.

"The cute fox your sister was cuddling with last winter."

"Oh, the ranger scout?" Sarah asked with a smile.

Judy could only guess as to how red her cheeks and ears had become. She felt her whole body warm in embarrassment.

"I didn't…I mean…We just sat together and were talking." The small gray bunny stammered as tried to collect herself. It didn't really work however since she was so frazzled she couldn't construct whole sentences.

"Sounds like the library incident," Peggy said from the doorway with a smug smirk.

It was Trisha's turn to turn bright red as she looked over at her mother, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mom!" Trisha shouted in shock.

"Trisha?" Judy asked with a sly smile.

"Sarah!" Sarah announced as she tossed her paws up in the air happily.

After a few more minutes of Peggy poking fun at the two young does it was time for bed. As it turned out they had a big day ahead of them tomorrow. While the summer camp wouldn't start until the day after tomorrow they still had a lot to do. The main event, however, was to happen in the morning. Everyone would be getting together to go and greet Nick as he arrived at the train station from Zootopia.

Judy couldn't believe that Nick was coming. Trisha had failed to mention him when she had called her back in BunnyBurrow with the good news about the camp. Judy had assumed he wouldn't be making it. While she had been somewhat disappointed in this regard she had still been so excited to be visiting Manta Bay with her sister.

When they finally managed to settle down Judy got her sleeping bag ready. She reached down and undid the zipper. Before crawling in though she helped Sarah set up her own. The smaller bunny, however, seemed cautious in her motions, almost as if she were trying to delay her bedtime. Judy studied her sister and could tell the younger doe was tired. They did after all have a busy day.

With a knowing smile, Judy got into her sleeping bag but held it open and looked at Sarah, signaling her sibling with a slight nod. Sarah's mood suddenly brightened as she scurried over and burrowed into the sleeping bag with Judy. This was after all not their home and they were in a strange city, Sarah was most likely in need of some sibling comfort. Judy wrapped her sister up in her arms and left the sleeping bag open.

Trisha had been watching the scene play out and smiled down at Judy from her bed.

"Good night Sarah, night Judy," The brown doe whispered from her spot on the bed.

"Good night Trisha," Judy said as she looked up at her friend.

"Good night Trisha. Love you," Sarah said before opening her mouth in a wide yawn.

With that, the three bunnies drifted off.

Judy let out a soft yawn as she woke up in the middle of the night. She let out a soft sigh as her eyes fluttered open, only to widen suddenly at the sight of a sleeping Trisha resting just inches away from her. After blinking a few times her eyes finally adjusted to the low light.

 _What is she…?_

There was a soft moan followed by some stirring just beneath Judy's chin. She looked down and smiled at the sight of her sister still curled up in Judy's arms. The small doe, however, had adjusted, her back resting against Judy as she buried her head into Trisha's chest. Sarah seemed rather comfortable as she slept between the brown and gray bunnies. Occasionally her mouth would fall open and her paws would grab bits of Trisha's shirt as she found a new and more comfortable position to continue her slumber.

Judy looked back up at Trisha whose nose wiggled slightly as she let out the softest of breaths. Judy studied her friend for a moment and smiled. Trisha being the youngest and only girl of her siblings must not have had this opportunity very much. Sure Judy enjoyed sleeping in her own bed at night curled up with a carrot plushy. Sometimes though she had to admit there was something so very enjoyable about curling up with another bunny or two. The way their bodies shared warmth, how soft the fur of one you cared about was, or the rhythmic breathing that would slowly send one back into dreamland.

Judy wrapped Sarah a little closer to her own body as she scooted closer, her forehead gently resting against Trisha's as their ears laid on top of one another. Sarah let out a soft coo as she felt her sister hold her closer. Ever so gently Judy grabbed part of the sleeping bag and brought it around Trisha so the bunny could enjoy the warmth. Judy then closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of her sister and Trisha and smiled as she dozed off once more.

-The next day-

"We will be arriving in Manta Bay shortly sweetie, best make sure you have all your things ready as this train has other stations to get to," A friendly female Zebra said as she checked in on the young fox currently sitting on his own in the train car.

"Thank you, ma'am," The fox said as his emerald eyes brightened at the news.

"Of course, did you check any bags?" The conductor asked, impressed with how polite the young tod was.

"I have one in the overhead," Nick nodded upwards. He had needed help getting the baggage up there in the first place and suddenly realized he would need help retrieving it.

"The green one?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The zebra being taller had no trouble reaching the luggage and set it down in the vacant seat. "Here you are, sweetie."

"Thank you!"

"Visiting family in Manta Bay?" The conductor asked, showing a sudden interest in the young vulpine she had been entrusted with.

"Yes, and friends," Nick said, his tail swishing. "They got together and bought me tickets to the aquarium which is having a camp."

He couldn't help but brag about this. Mainly because nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He began to wonder if this was what it was like to have friends who didn't seem him as just some sly fox. Before the negative memories of the past could make their way into Nick's mind the Zebra smiled at him.

"Awww, that is so very sweet of them," The conductor gushed. "You have some really good friends from the sounds of it."

"Yeah," Nick said, a broad grin crossing his muzzle. He couldn't help it and it felt wonderful. "I do."

When Nick's train pulled into the station that same goofy grin appeared on his face once more. The reason was currently bunched up on the train platform.

A small group of mammals stood on the train platform as the cars came to a slow stop. Nick saw his friends right away. It was especially easy thanks to Trisha who was currently waving like a mad bunny as she clung to Emily's back with one arm while waving the other. Emily was laughing as she waved at her cousin. Nick recognized Delta who was standing next to Emily. When the canine's eyes met they gave each other a friendly nod. Delta tossing in a friendly salute as well.

Nick tilted his head in confusion at the sight of Atom who was currently being lifted off the ground by a lovely black wolf. The larger canine burying her head into the side of Atom's as she squeezed the painted dog closer to her own body. Another wolf stood by, laughing at the sight.

There was another smaller bunny next to Emily, an adorable multi-colored doe whose sweet smile seemed to make the cloudy city a little brighter. Her bright pink eyes caught Nick's attention as she waved up at him.

As vibrant, happy, and welcoming as the others were, there was one mammal in particular that made Nick's tail swish back and forth. Standing on the platform in front of them all stood Judy. Her adorable purple eyes seemed to shine as she looked up at him. Her ears were high above her as she tilted her head. The subtle smile on her lips like some kind of greeting reserved just for him.

 _This is going to be the best break ever._

* * *

 **Hey there!**

 **Hope you liked the chapter. I know it wasn't as much WildeHopps as some may like but it just started to be so much fun letting Trisha share some sweet moments with the Hopps girls. This is one of those stories that the words just come pouring out and I just let the story write itself. I have been going through some rather rough times recently but this story, it makes me feel better so I hope it brightens up some of your days as well.**

 **Originally Springs was supposed to be a two-parter but the word count was just getting so high that I decided to split it into 3. Lets see if we can keep it that way.**

 **I have some silly plans for the next chapter. Some friends of mine make a cameo or two. Can't wait!**

 **Come back to visit Manta Bay soon!**

 **-Blue**


	5. Scientific Spring Part 3

-Scientific Spring Part 3-

Nick, with the help of the Zebra conductor who had been keeping an eye on him, managed to get his luggage off the train. The fox had barely taken a few steps down the train platform when it happened.

Some memories remain with folks till their dying days. Whether it was the first time they saw fireworks, their first kiss, or maybe the birth of a pup. For Nick one of those memories was when he arrived at Manta Bay that day.

His eyes went wide in surprise as his friends suddenly charged him. The fox was wrapped up in a hug first by his cousin Emily, then Trisha, Delta, a small set of paws that were Sarah. He tried to not to let his tail swish too much when he felt Judy join in. Atom was the one that brought up the rear, having just finished hugging a pair of college wolfs, his pawstep's could be heard as he hurried over and wrapped his arms around his friends. Unfortunately, he had also caused a bit of an unbalance which soon caused the group to tip over and land with a thud on the train platform.

The gang couldn't help but groan and laugh as they piled on top of one another. Nick looked around and his bright green eyes widened as he realized Judy and him were just inches apart. Her beautiful smile and laughter filled his senses as she looked back at him.

"Welcome back to Manta Bay Nick."

"Glad to be back Judy."

It took them a bit to finally leave the train station. The group having gotten somewhat giddy and rowdy now that they were all back together. It wasn't anything Jean couldn't handle as she managed to corral the gang and get them moving. Delta and Atom helped with Nick's bags and such, mainly because the fox had his paws full. Sarah who remembered Nick and all he had done for her in the past saw him as some brotherly figure. In her mind that meant he was supposed to give her a piggyback ride. The doe happily wrapping her arms around the fox's neck as she held onto him. Nick looped his arms for Sarah to put her legs through for even more support.

Judy had tried to apologize and convince Sarah to use her own feet to move around. Nick, however, brushed the comments aside and said he didn't mind. Judy smirked as she looked from her sister to the fox currently carrying the multi-colored cutie. She strolled next to Nick, a slight skip in her step that Emily and Trisha couldn't help but whisper about.

"Funny how she got it when he arrived."

"I know right," Emily joined in the gossip. "It's like watching you every time Delta comes round."

That comment earned Emily a slug on the arm from the smaller mammal at her side.

When they arrived in the parking lot everyone loaded up into Jean's minivan. Being a fox vehicle meant it had more than enough room for everyone to spread out. While Emily sat up front with her mother Trisha grabbed Delta by the paw, something that caused the painted dog to grin happily, and had him hold up with Atom.

"Newbies in the back," Trisha teased as her tail flicked.

Her plan was obvious to Emily and Jean. The others seemed somewhat oblivious. Especially Sarah who happily sat in between Judy and Nick. The multi-colored cutie beaming up at Trisha whose eyelids drooped. The brown doe couldn't be mad at that sweet smile though.

 _Ok, …plan B…need a plan B._

Trisha was so focused on what was happening in the back seat with the visitors to Manta Bay that she had completely forgotten to let go of Delta's paw. The canine, however, didn't seem to mind. Far from it, he kept looking straight forward, occasionally glancing at his paw still holding the smaller bunny's.

"So when did you two get here?" Nick asked as he buckled into his seat and looked over at Judy, his view of the gray bunny somewhat obstructed by a pair of black and white ears.

"Yesterday," Judy said as she finished making sure Sarah was properly buckled. The car came to life and Jean put the vehicle into drive as she drove the gang back to her place. "We are staying at Trisha's."

"We built a pillow fort yesterday," Sarah exclaimed as she waved her paws wildly about.

"Really now," Nick said with a smirk. "What did you call i-"

"Fort Trisha! My house my rules." Trisha said from the center row which caused the three mammals in the back to laugh.

"So when did you find out you were going to the camp?" Nick asked a constant smile on his face at the whole situation they found themselves in. He still couldn't believe it. Not only was he here in Manta Bay and about to go to this rather fun sounding camp but Judy was here to share the experience with him.

"About a week ago," Judy said with a bright smile as she looked forward.

Nick's gaze followed Judy's and he saw how a pair of bright blue eyes were staring back at the front seat. Trisha's thick black tipped ears were raised up and from the looks of it, she was wiggling with excitement.

"Thanks again Trisha," Judy said sweetly.

"Yeah, thanks!" Sarah nearly shouted with joy.

Trisha's eyes went to Nick who tried to find the words to say just how grateful he was but apparently, it wasn't needed. The brown doe simply gave Nick a wink as she tilted her head in his direction. Nick returned it with his own nod, a kind of silent thanks to the sweet brown-

"Actually you should be thanking Atom," Emily pointed out from the front seat.

Trisha's eyelids drooped as she looked to the side. Atom suddenly sat up and turned around, his mouth open in a happy pant as he waved at the three in the back.

"Yeah that hugging booth of his raised most of the money," Delta pointed out, still looking towards the front of the car.

Trisha turned to look at Delta and cleared her throat. The painted dog looked over at the small brown bunny and suddenly realized he was being stared down.

"But Trisha raised a lot with her lemonade stand idea!" The painted dog added quickly, fearing for his own life.

"Well thank you, everyone," Nick said happily.

"Yes thanks, guys," Judy added.

"Thank you again!" Sarah chimed in.

When they pulled up at Jean's house Nick was surprised as to how many vehicles were currently parked on the front of the street.

"Someone throwing a party?" Nick asked as he eyed all the cars.

"Yeah us," Jean said from the driver seat as she pulled into a vacant spot on the driveway.

The gang piled out of the car and stretched their legs. Nick noticed a Manta Bay police cruiser parked nearby and nudged Judy's arm with his elbow. The doe smiled at the fox's touch before realizing what the tod was pointing at.

"Well, guess dad is here," Delta grumbled as he helped Atom unload Nick's bags.

"Dad?!" Judy asked as she suddenly spun around. "Your dad works for the Manta Bay police department."

"Uhh…yeah..." Delta said as he tilted his head slightly.

"That is so cool! Can I talk to him? I want to join the ZPD! What's their academy like here? Do they have a large police service?"

Judy began to rattle off question after question to the confused looking painted dog. Nick couldn't help but smile at how Judy acted about the new information. His ears flicked slightly as he felt a pressure on one of his paws. He looked down and noticed that Sarah had grabbed one of his paws and was smiling up at him with a pair of lovely pink eyes.

"She talks nonstop about being a police officer," Sarah explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but lately she just talks about Manta Bay," Sarah said innocently.

"Probably because of the camp."

"Yeah, but she also likes to talk about Halloween, The snowball stuff, Trisha."

Nick smiled as the smaller bunny listed off subjects that her sister liked to talk about, trying to remember every little topic Judy liked talking about. He couldn't explain why but it all felt rather important that he knew this stuff.

"She doesn't seem to like talking about you though," Sarah explained which jolted Nick back to reality.

"What? What do you mean? She doesn't like talking about me?" Nick felt his whole world start to spin at the sudden revelation that the sweet doe from Bunny Burrow didn't like him.

"Yeah, she always turns a bright red and starts shouting and trying to cover my mouth whenever I tell my littermates about you. She also laughs nervously and her ears turn red too."

Sarah may not have fully understood what all this meant but Nick did. The broadest of smiles remained on his muzzle as he looked over at Judy who with the help of Trisha was pestering Delta for information.

 _She turns bright red….like….blushing?_

As it turned out there was quite the party waiting for everyone in the backyard of Jean and Emily's house. Nick's uncle Rob was busy grilling some beetle burgers and vegetables when the group arrived in the backyard. The fox looked up as he heard the sliding glass door to the house open. He had a beer in one paw and raised it at the newcomers.

"Well well well here comes a whole mess of trouble," The fox chuckled as he set his drink down and walked over. "Nick, how was the trip?"

"Good Uncle Rob, thank you again for having me," Nick said as he was wrapped up in a hug and given a firm pat on the back by the older fox.

"So polite," Jean said as she patted Nick on the shoulder.

"Can you teach Emily?" Rob asked.

"Hey!" Emily shouted as she hurried over to her dad and tried to tackle him to the ground. Rob let out a grunt and began to tumble to the grass but everyone knew it was all in fun, Emily was a fraction of the fox's size and he could easily take her on. Rob, however, loved to rough house with his daughter and soon the two were in a playful shoving match before he had to return to his grilling duties, taking Emily with him to show her how to grill.

"Nick!" Peggy said as she hurried over.

"Mrs. Rose!" Nick said in surprise as he felt the bunny wrap her arms around him. He began to have an understanding of where Trisha got a bit of her bubbly nature.

"Oh gosh not you too!" Peggy explained as she nuzzled into the tod who returned the hug. "Aunt Peggy. Its what the girls have been calling me all weekend so it only seems fair."

This was extremely odd to Nick but also very welcomed. He would never have thought he would have a bunny for an aunt, even if it was just a title.

"Aunt Peggy!" Sarah chimed in and scurried over. Turning Nick's current hug into a group hug.

"So this is the fox I have heard so much about?" Came a deep voice from the snack table.

Nick looked over and saw a large painted dog in a police uniform stride over. Every step carried with it some authority and Nick felt suddenly rather nervous. Even as a young tod in Zootopia he had always been treated oddly by members of the ZPD who sometimes saw him as trouble waiting to happen.

"Yessir," Nick said as he stood up a little straighter. Peggy rolled her eyes at the painted dog who approached, she then scooped up Sarah and moved to the side, the multi-colored bunny purring as she nuzzled into the older doe.

"Name's Larry," The painted dog said, his demeanor changing to one of warmth almost instantly. He held out a large painted paw towards Nick who took it and gave it a firm shake. "I'm Delta's dad."

"He is also the law around these parts!" Trisha explained as her head suddenly popped up from behind the large painted dog's. While Nick hadn't been looking Trisha had managed to climb up the back of the police officer who took little notice of the sudden invasion in personal space, it seemed like he had grown used to this.

"I am an officer for the Manta Bay police department yes..."

"If you are really nice he might let you taze someone!" Trisha offered.

"No!"

"Or maybe fire his gun off a few times into the air."

"Yeah that's another no," Larry said as he rolled his eyes and smiled down at Nick. "You're used to her by now right?"

"Or maybe if you ask real nice he will let you run someone off the road!"

"Delta!" Larry shouted.

Delta suddenly hurried over and stopped just beside Nick, the fox smirking over at the painted dog who couldn't help but laugh at what he was witnessing.

"Take your girlfriend and go cause trouble somewhere."

The smirk on Delta's muzzle suddenly vanished as a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Dad!"

Trisha meanwhile was still holding onto Larry's shoulder but she was no longer making eye contact with the canines in front of her. She was instead looking up into the sky, a pleased smirk on her lips as a light blush went up her ears.

"Ohhhhhhh someone is in trouble," Peggy teased from the snack table.

Nick looked over and noticed how Peggy, Sarah, and Judy were all looking over at the scene, all of them giggling at Trisha's embarrassment.

"What? Oh come on it's not like it's a secret," Larry explained as he turned to look at Peggy. "I mean you and I both had to go over to Rancho the other day because of that stupid librarian losing her cool because of-"

Larry couldn't finish as Trisha suddenly wrapped her paws around the painted dog's head and put her paws over his muzzle.

"What's that officer big mouth? I think I hear a donut shop being robbed!"

Larry took the hint and played along.

"Oh no! My one weakness!" The painted dog said as he scooped Trisha off his shoulders and set her down. He then struck a heroic pose and hurried back into the house.

"I keep asking mom if I am adopted," Delta grumbled as he put a paw to his forehead.

Nick, however, had a knowing smirk on his muzzle as he leaned over towards Delta.

"Librarian? What happened in the library Delta?" Nick asked with a muffled chuckle.

Delta's ears flicked and he slowly turned to look at Nick, "What happened by the fireplace last time you were here Nick?"

Nick's eyes went wide as he stared at the painted dog, he thought it over for a second then simply asked, "Truce?"

"Truce."

The barbeque itself was a unique experience for Nick. He didn't have many other friends belonging to other species and most foxes kept to themselves in Zootopia. The mammals of Manta Bay, however, were different, especially Trisha, but it was a good different.

Rob and Jean had several large picnic tables in the backyard already which meant everyone could sit together and chat. Rob would wander down the tables on occasion and try to force anyone with space on their plate to have another item from the grill. Peggy and Jean kept themselves busy as they ate their food but also kept an eye on the kits, making sure drink glasses were full and Trisha was behaving herself.

Nick watched with mild amusement as Jean wandered over in time for Trisha to finish constructing a small village out of vegetables only to declare a monster was in the area as she started to grab paws full of the village and stuff them in her mouth.

"What have we said about playing with our food you little goof?" The fox asked the small brown bunny.

"Make it entertaining!" Trisha said, her cheeks stuffed with veggies.

To Nick's surprise, Jean reached out and gave Trisha a gentle rub between her ears, "That's my girl."

"Oh, so you have been the bad influence!?" Peggy shouted from down the table. "I keep wondering where she gets these notions! I'm trying to raise a mature bunny here!"

"Oh please Peg, I have driven by the park more than once to see you on the swing asking one of your boys to push you higher so you can do a flip," Larry teased as he reached over Nick's shoulder and grabbed a bottle of mustard for his beetle dog.

Nick snorted as he looked down at Peggy who gave the large painted dog a playful stare.

At one point Sarah, who had been sitting next to Trisha for most of the meal wanted to join Judy. The small multi-colored bunny scurried under the table and popped her head up between Judy's legs. Judy snorted as she helped her sister up on the bench. The thing is space was somewhat at a premium on this side of the table which meant Judy had to scoot closer to Nick. Their legs pressing against one another.

"Sorry Nick," Judy said as she wiggled to give her sister some room.

"Its ok Judy," Nick said as he took a bite of his burger, he was really just doing it to hide the sudden smile on his lips. After swallowing the bit of beetle burger in his mouth he turned to look at Judy. Before he could speak however Judy smiled up at him.

"I am really glad you made it Nick," Judy said sweetly, her beautiful purple eyes looking up at him.

Just like that Nick didn't know what to say. He had been planning on asking how things were back in Bunny Burrow or how Judy and Sarah's family was. His mind, however, went blank as he looked down at the bunny.

"I'm really glad you're here too," Emily whispered on the other side of Nick which brought the tod back into reality.

"I'm really glad you're here too Judy," Nick mimicked his cousin.

"Smooth dork…super smooth," Emily said in a low voice before taking a sip from her drink.

After lunch, Peggy suggested the gang head over to the local park to work off some of their food. Judy and Sarah tried to stay and help clean up but Peggy wouldn't let them, insisting that she needed someone to distract Trisha while they took care of things at Jean and Rob's.

Larry had to get back to patrolling the city, having used his lunch break to spend time with them all. The painted dog started up his cruiser and turned on the lights which caused Judy to bounce in place. He then blared the siren for a second which caused the gray doe to suddenly reach out and grab Nick's paw as she stared at the Manta Bay police cruiser.

"Just go already!" Delta shouted at his father who gave his son a wink and then waved at the rest of the kits in the driveway.

Once the cruiser rolled away and they all calmed down Delta rolled his eyes and turned to the others. He looked like he was about to say something but suddenly closed his muzzle as a knowing smirk appeared on his face.

Judy was still holding Nick's paw from all the excitement, his own digits having intertwined with the small bunny's.

Sarah had noticed this as well but had a completely different reaction. She hurried over and grabbed Nick's other paw and giggled happily. It was then Judy realized what she had been doing but thanks to her little sister she no longer needed to let go to save her from embarrassment.

"Shall we head to the park?" Emily asked as she walked down the driveway, as she passed Delta she leaned up and whispered something in the painted dog's ears which caused them to fall flat on his head, his eyes going wide. The young vixen then looked at her cousin and gave him a subtle wink.

Had this group been walking the streets of Zootopia they would have probably gotten a few odd looks. The gang was a bit of an odd bunch. There was the brown bunny who was hanging on the shoulders of the brown painted dog. A fox walking paw in paw with two adorable bunnies. Bringing up the rear was a light colored painted dog who had his arm around a young vixen's shoulder who giggled on occasion and would prod the painted dog who snorted happily.

The park that had been suggested by Peggy wasn't very far from Emily's house. It only took the group a few minutes before arriving at the large series of wooden structures. Nick let out a low whistle, having not seen many playgrounds like this back in Zootopia.

"Its been around forever," Trisha explained as she turned to look at the out of towners, her arms still wrapped around Delta's shoulders, his tail had not ceased in its wagging since they left the house.

"Well except last summer when it was being repaired," Emily pointed out.

"Or the summer before that when it caught fire," Delta added much to the annoyance of Trisha.

"Whats that Atom?" Emily playfully began, the yellow painted dog having not signed anything but seemed excited to have his name mentioned. "And the summer before that when it hadn't even been built yet?"

"OK! I get it!" Trisha shouted as she looked straight ahead. She then leaned close to Delta and nuzzled her cheek against the back of his fur. "So it is still kind of new but its been here long enough for me to claim it as Trisha park."

"That's not what its called"

"Shut it, Emily!"

The park didn't just have the large wooden structures that looked like a small castle, it also had swings, a seesaw, climbing ropes, and a metal roundabout. The group separated when they arrived. Some of them pairing off to explore what the park had to offer. Trisha jumped off of Delta and grabbed Sarah by the paw as she led the smaller bunny into the wooden structures followed closely by Delta, their squeaks of laughter filling the park.

Emily and Atom darted over to the roundabout. Emily grinning excitedly as she sat in the center of the large metal disk and held onto one of the poles as Atom began to kick his feet into the tanbark on the ground causing the roundabout to spin.

Nick suddenly felt a little nervous. He looked at his friends as they scattered and began to enjoy the different activities of the park. Which left him with-

"Want to hit the swings?" Judy asked without missing a beat.

Nick smiled at the small gray doe next to him and nodded, walking over to a set of swings that sat vacant nearby.

Remember those memories one cherishes forever? As it turns out Nick would have many of those moments from this trip. One of those memories was sitting on the swings with Judy.

The two caught up like they had been old friends that hadn't seen each other in ages. In fairness that was kind of what they were. Having not seen each other in weeks. Each of them sharing stories and catching up.

Judy telling Nick about school, her aspirations of joining the ZPD, the play she had been in during the Bunny Burrow harvest festival. To her own surprise she felt so at ease with Nick she revealed something that she hadn't even told her parents about yet.

"I couldn't just sit by and let him take those tickets," Judy explained as she gave Nick a weak smile. She then brushed some of the fur on her cheek aside and revealed the three scars that had been hidden. Nick's eyes going wide.

"Judy! I am so sorry that happened," Nick began but Judy quickly waved her paw in the air.

"Its ok, just a scratch, some mammals can be jerks ya know?"

"Yeah…I…know," Nick said as memories of the scout meeting flashed in his mind. The expression on his muzzle must have given something away as he felt a paw on his own. He looked over at Judy who had moved her swing closer to his, a look of concern on her face.

"You ok Nick?"

Nick blinked a few times and looked up at Judy and gave her a warm smile.

"Yeah sorry Judy, just kind of got lost in thought."

"What kind of thoughts?"

Nick mulled it over but decided for now not to bring up what had been eating away at him. How he had been mistreated by mammals he had thought were his friends. Instead, he decided to focus on the here and now. The now being in the park with Judy in a kind of peaceful silence. Which was weird since Trisha was around.

Nick's ears flicked as he sat up a little straighter. His gaze going towards the wooden structure in the park, realizing that everyone else was missing.

"Um, where did everyone go?" Nick asked hesitantly which caused Judy's ears to go up. She looked across the park and noticed what Nick had as well.

Her ears twitched and turned slightly. After a second or two, her eyelids drooped and she nodded towards the wooden structure. Nick glanced over and noticed several different sets of ears all raised and pointing in their direction.

"They are laughing," Judy grumbled.

Nick felt his heart race as an idea popped into his head. He calmly reached over and grabbed Judy's paw and gave it a squeeze.

Judy's ears stood more erect as her eyes widen in surprise. She looked down at her paw now intertwined with Nick's.

"Let them," Nick said simply as he smiled at Judy who tried her best not to blush. "So broken up any other major crimes back home?"

Judy stammered at first, her throat having gone dry. She, however, found her voice and smirked, "Well there was the case of the missing cookies from the cookie jar."

Had Nick possessed the same hearing Judy did he would have heard the commotion going on over at the wooden fort. Both Emily and Trisha let out a series of "awws" as they peaked through a set of holes in the wooden fort. Atom let out a gagging noise and crawled away. Sarah and Delta, however, were busy sitting nearby stacking their paws on top of one another to see whose would remain on top. Sarah giggling as her tiny paw was covered by the larger mammals who laughed along with his friend, his eyes, however, looking over at Trisha on occasion, taking note of how the brown bunny seemed to gush at the sight of Nick and Judy holding paws.

The next day couldn't come fast enough for anyone in the group. While the rest of Nick's arrival day was filled with more silliness and fun memories, like the one where Atom and Delta managed to get the roundabout spinning so fast that Sarah nearly went air born. Nick, however, managed to catch the doe before she was flung off, her bright pink eyes wide as she laughed happily. The gang was all eager for the camp to begin.

As the sun set over Manta Bay the gang said their goodbyes. It was obvious to everyone present that a certain pair didn't want to part. But after some convincing everyone managed to pull Sarah and Atom apart, the pair having been enjoying a hug that lasted so long that Sarah nearly fell asleep as she nuzzled into Atom's warm painted fur.

Trisha, Sarah, and Judy were picked up back at Emily's house. The three bunnies waving farewell to their friends from the backseat of Peggy's car. Judy smiled right at Nick and waved her tiny paw in his direction. The smirk on his face caused a warm feeling to fill her up and she didn't look away from the young tod till the car turned a corner and he was out of sight.

That night Trisha noticed how Judy had this distant look on her face as she brushed the fur on her ears. The brown bunny couldn't help but smile, having a feeling what had caused a silent happiness to come over Judy.

"She has been getting like that ever since winter break," Sarah pointed out.

"I wonder why?" Trisha whispered as she continued to brush Sarah's fur as she sat behind the smaller doe.

As the two does gossiped and giggled over Judy the gray bunny tuned them out as her mind went back to earlier that day. Images of a swing set with Nick and their paws intertwined played over and over in the young bunny's mind. She had no idea why she enjoyed the memory so much but it didn't matter.

Judy had been so lost in thought that she hadn't realized how fast time had gone by. It wasn't until she felt a tiny paw on her wrist that she came back to reality. She looked down just in time to see Sarah close her eyes and yawn before looking back up at Judy. It was a signal that it was time for bed. Judy was led to the top of the bed where a surprised looking Trisha was climbing under the covers. Sarah didn't say a word as she crawled under the covers and rested her head on Trisha's shoulder and closed her eyes, nuzzling into the brown doe. Trisha couldn't help but smile as Judy joined her and laid down on the other side of Sarah but scooted closer so the multi-colored was wrapped up between the two other does. She then wrapped an arm around Trisha who in turn moved closer. Her bright blue eyes full of happiness as her eyelids slowly drooped closed.

Judy listened to the soft breathing of her sister and her friend. The soothing sounds helping her drift off into dreamland. The last thought that crossed her mind before she was completely out was of Nick standing in Emily's driveway smiling at her.

A few blocks away Nick sat in bed as he stared up at the ceiling to the guest room he was occupying at Emily's home. He had been smiling all day and it was so refreshing to the young fox. He didn't get many days like this back in Zootopia. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy for so long. Between the kindnesses of his family, the silliness of his friends, and the feelings he got when a certain gray bunny's paw was wrapped up in his own, all of it was just so much that Nick was just filled with a kind of pure happiness.

Normally Nick had trouble getting to bed these days. He would normally worry about what the next day would bring, what trouble he would be accused of, what bigotry he would face. Tonight though he didn't have any such worries. He smiled as he closed his eyes and fell into a pleasant sleep, for the first time eager for what tomorrow held.

The morning finally came and fortunately for all those youngsters going to the summer camp, it went rather quickly. Similar scenes played out at the different houses across Manta Bay as the group got ready at each of their homes.

Delta was woken up by his father who came in banging a pot with a large wooden spoon, having just finished making breakfast for his son.

"Come and get it before I feed it to the fish!"

"We don't have a fish dad…"Delta grumbled as his eyes struggled to open.

"Well come and get it before I walk your breakfast to the aquarium and feed the fishes there!"

The young painted dog groaned, his eyes still closed.

"In nothing but my bathrobe, boxers, and slippers. I'll be sure to tell them all; Hey I'm Delta's dad! Anyone seen his bunny? She is brown, big blue eyes, and what was he said…oh right…these really big beautiful ears that-"

This was enough of a threat to get Delta jumping from the bed as he hurried to get ready.

Peggy meanwhile was gushing over how cute the girls looked in their camp shirts. Every year the camp sent out a care package before the event. It normally contained a few shirts that were included in the price of admission. The colors and designs on the shirt changed each year. This year it was a teal shirt with a large jellyfish with a smiley face waving and holding a sign that read: Manta Bay Science Camp.

The older doe was taking picture after picture of the girls. Asking them to strike the occasional pose before taking individual pictures. She kept insisting that it was all for Bonnie and Stu back in Bunny Burrow but Trisha pointed out that her mom just liked taking pictures. The young brown doe didn't hesitate to pose in whatever picture her mother asked for though. Judy thought the one with Trisha standing behind Sarah, her arms wrapped around the multi-colored doe's shoulders, was especially cute and couldn't wait to see it.

Over at Emily's house, a pair of young foxes sat at the kitchen table, their tails swishing as the sweet smell of pancakes filled the room. Rob was humming to himself as he flipped the thin breakfast food in a pan on the stove.

"So we will pick you all up at the front of the aquarium this afternoon and then come back here, Rob and I have dinner plans with some friends so you two will be on your own for dinner, we will leave you some money for pizza," Jean explained as she sipped her coffee and sat down at the end of the table.

"Don't we sleep over at the aquarium?" Nick asked in slight confusion.

"That's not till the end of the camp," Emily pointed out.

"Nick just doesn't want to sleep at our dump that's all," Rob chuckled from the stove.

Nick's eyes went wide as he tried to insist that wasn't the case.

"No he just couldn't get any sleep with your snoring from down the hall," Emily shot back.

"I do not snore!" Rob said as he turned to look back at his daughter but noticed the knowing looks coming from both the girls. "Ok, so I don't snore that loudly! Nick back me up here."

In another kitchen, in another home in Manta Bay, a lovely looking painted dog hummed a sweet tune as she cut up some fruit. Her ears flicked and she looked at her watch.

"Oh geez, he should have been downstairs by now," The painted dog said worryingly.

"I'll wake him, mom!" A young painted dog in a junior ranger scout uniform said, her light blue eyes raising from her activity book.

"Thank you, Shell."

The painted pup skipped from the kitchen singing a campfire tune she had learned at her last scout meeting.

" _Save the last pinecone for me boys, save the last one for me, I've been home reading those book of rules so just save the last one for me."_

She had been told the rangers out in the town of Fairfax sang it around campfires at night, since she would be visiting the forests during the summer she wanted to know everything she could, being the only girl in her troop meant a lot was expected of her.

When Shell reached the door to her brother's room she shook with excitement and knocked. She then slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside. No one appeared to be in the room at first but she knew better. Shell looked over at the bed where a mountain of plush animals sat, slowly rising and falling.

"Pssssst!"

There was no response.

"Big brother?"

Still nothing.

Shell took in a deep breath and tiptoed in. If he wasn't awake then he deserved a good scare to get him up, besides what were little sisters for. Shell reached the side of the bed and took in a deep breath, planning to shout her brother's name to get him up. If it meant causing him to have a mild heart attack that was just a bonus.

Before she could say anything though the pile of plush animals burst into the air as a painted dog with bright yellow eyes burst from his sleeping spot.

"AH!" Shell managed to get out before being tackled to the ground and wrapped up in a strong hug. The young painted dog began to burst out with laughter as her brother nuzzled into her neck and snort. "Atom no! Stop! That tickles!"

"You two ok?" Came a shout from downstairs.

"Were fine!" Shell shouted as she was lifted off the ground and carried out of the room by her loving brother who held her close in a hug.

With the kits and pups all woken up and fed, it was time to be dropped off at the aquarium. The camp was about to begin. Jean drove Emily and Nick to the aquarium which sat on the edge of the bay that the city got its name from. Nick was amazed at the large series of gray buildings that sat nestled by the sea. The main building must have been roughly 5 stories high with buildings of various sizes connected by a series of walkways and paths. Scaffolding covered the sides of several of the buildings as tarps covered up a few windows.

"They are currently remodeling the outside," Jean explained as she parked in the large parking lot. "Apparently after it's done they will hire a local artist to paint a mural on the side of the building. Till then it's not much to look at."

"But the inside is really cool," Emily added excitedly.

Once out of the parking lot the three foxes approached a series of tents with banners on them. They walked up to the registration table where a friendly porcupine sat in a dark blue shirt.

"Welcome campers!" She said excitedly. She blinked a few times as she looked at Emily and then a happy smile crossed her lips. "Oh wow! Emily, how have you been? I was one of your counselors last year."

Emily tilted her head slightly with a sly smile, "Carol? Yeah, I remember, you were super fun! Are you a counselor this year?"

"Sadly no…" The porcupine said as she lifted her leg slightly and revealed a cast.

"Oh, dear are you ok?" Jean asked.

The porcupine nodded, "Just fine, little skiing accident. But I refused to skip a year volunteering. So I'm on registration detail. Speaking of which let's get you all figured out so we can get you to the camp."

Carol looked at Nick, the fox giving a weak smile.

"And who is this handsome young fox?"

"Nick Wilde," Nick said politely.

"My cousin from Zootopia," Emily said proudly.

"Oh, Zootopia? That sounds neat. Bet you have lots of fun adventures there."

"Yeah," Nick lied.

"Let me just find your paperwork, did you register together?"

It took a minute or two but Carol found their paperwork. While most of them had notes scribbled on them Nick noticed how Emily and his paperwork had yellow sticky notes on them which caused Carol to snort.

"Oh that's right, should have remembered, your group had a special request."

"Special request?" Jean asked in slight confusion.

Carol let out a long sigh and gave Jean a knowing look which caused the Vixen to roll her eye, "Trisha?"

Carol simply nodded, "Trisha."

"Oh this is going to be good," Emily laughed.

Nick had a confused look on his face which Carol noticed. She leaned on the registration table and gave Nick a warm look, "We try to accommodate requests made by our campers. The request from Trisha was you all be paired together. And that you have a certain counselor for your camp. She also wanted to swim in the shark tank but I am sure you understand we can't do that."

Nick snorted at the explanation and let out a sigh.

"Do me a favor you two, keep an eye on her and don't let her pester Dave too much, he doesn't know he has you all again."

"This is the 3rd year, he should know by now there is no escape," Emily insisted.

Carol laughed and instructed them where to go and to enjoy the camp. Jean said her own goodbye, giving them both a hug before shooing them off, insisting it was time to go have fun and to behave. The vixen then turned to Carol as the two caught up.

"Let's go find the others," Emily said as she grabbed her cousin by the paw and led him down a large cement ramp that would bring them to a small entrance park in front of the aquarium. When they arrived they were met with a sea of other mammals in similar shirts all milling about waiting to start their various adventures.

"Over here!" Trisha shouted and bounced up and down so Emily and Nick could see her. As they approached Nick noticed how Judy, Sarah, and Trisha were all in the same teal shirts that Emily and Nick had put on that morning. There were many other mammals in the same colored shirt with the spring camps logo on it. There were also mammals running around in different colored shirts. There was a group over by a railing in bright green. They all looked far younger than the members of their camp.

There was also a group in dark red shirts. The mammals in this group looked somewhat older than Nick's group.

Another had a kind of dark green, these mammals were all carrying various sketch pads and art supplies. Nick couldn't help but tilt his head as he watched a cream colored bunny excitedly bounce in place as she chatted with a fox wearing a large red scarf.

"Good morning!" Sarah shouted as she let go of Judy's paw and hurried over. Emily smiled as she received a hug from the multi-colored doe who had really come out of her shell on this trip, she was no longer hesitant to find affection from her friends. Once Emily had received her hug Nick was next. He wrapped his arms around Sarah who purred into his stomach, the tip of her black and white ears brushing up under his chin.

"You all ready for an awesome scientific adventure?!" Trisha nearly shouted.

Sarah let go of Nick and turned around quickly, her tail flicking in excitement.

"Heard you tried to get us in the shark tank," Emily snorted as she walked over to her friend and smiled.

"Yeah, they said no but I am willing to bet if we distract them long enough we can get in there."

Judy rolled her eyes at the brown bunny's comment and then looked over at Nick. Both of them smiled at one another as their eyes met. Each of them displaying an odd little trait. Judy's ears raised up as a light blush formed while Nick had a dumb grin on his face, the urge to laugh with happiness was almost too much.

The moment, however, didn't last very long thanks to some snickering coming from the side. Both Nick and Judy turned to see Emily and Trisha staring at them, a pair of smug looks on both their faces.

"Hey, Trisha?" Judy began to ask as a mischievous smile crossed her lips. "They have a library here?"

Trisha's eyes went wide as her ears fell limp behind her back, "What do you know?"

"Just what your mom told me," Judy said as her lips curled. "That if you get a little rowdy to just mention libraries."

"Betrayed by my own mother…"

Emily roared with laughter and gave Trisha a nudge, "Oh snap, Bunny Burrows, got some dirt on you!"

"Shut it, Emily!"

"Bet Delta may know where to find some books," Nick joined in.

"Oi! Wilde! I'm gonna throw you in the shark tank!"

"I like libraries," Sarah said happily as she skipped over towards Trisha. The brown bunny let out a sigh and brought the multicolored cutie into her arms and gave her a hug, nuzzling her cheek against the top of Sarah's head. "I heard you and Delta though really like libraries though!"

Trisha's eyes popped open as her ears shot back up. Apparently, Sarah was now in on the joke, Trisha realizing she was outnumbered.

Fortunately back up soon arrived for the bunny in the form of a hug attack from Atom. The painted dog hurrying into the middle of the group, his tail swishing back and forth, he then held up his arms and began to hurry around his group of friends, making sure each of them received a hug or two. Nick couldn't help but notice how the painted dog had a few quills sticking out of his fur.

Delta walked up from behind Nick and gave his friend a pat on the back, "Sorry, we got held up. Atom wouldn't come in till Carol got a hug and you know how hard that can be sometimes." To prove his point the painted dog reached to his shoulder and pulled out a quill. "So what did I miss?"

"We were just talking about you, Trisha, and libraries," Nick said with a sly smile as he looked over at his friend.

Without skipping a beat Delta poked Nick's arm with the porcupine quill still in his paw. The fox letting out a surprised yelp before laughing. It didn't hurt too much but was just more surprising. Though he had just been quilled he couldn't help but smile at the painted dog, knowing Delta would only do it as a joke to a friend.

Before things got too out of paw with the new arrivals a kind of excited energy went over the crowds of campers as several larger mammals came from inside the aquarium entrance and walked over to the different groups of kits.

Trisha's tail flicked and she began to shake with excitement. Judy made her way over to Nick and leaned closer to the fox.

"So when we got here she kept asking if they got her request. She kept talking about how she wanted a particular counselor," The gray bunny explained.

"Emily mentioned something too," Nick added. "any idea who we are getting?"

"No idea but Trisha keeps saying he is the best one to have as a leader," Judy said as she looked up at Nick.

The bunny then scooted closer to the fox and wrapped her arms around his waist slowly.

"Good morning by the way," She said sweetly.

Nick tried his hardest but his tail gave him away as it flicked back and forth. He put his arms around Judy and took a risk, gently running a paw down the bunny's ears.

"Here he comes!" Trisha said as she started to jump up and down, waving her paws excitedly.

Judy and Nick snapped to attention quickly but remained next to one another.

Nick noticed the counselors were all different species. There was a slender looking cheetah who was already standing next to a group, explaining all the fun they were about to have. A brown bear hefting up two bunnies in his large arms and spinning them around as they laughed. A Zebra who had taken a knee to comfort one of his nervous-looking group members, explaining that this was going to be a ton of fun. Nick looked around and began to wonder who would be leading them through the aquarium.

An odd-looking puffball began to approach their group and Nick tilted his head. The gray and black mixed fur made him look slightly dirty. Nick was a little confused as to what he was looking at. It hit him when the mammal stopped right in front of his group, his eyelids drooped as an annoyed look crossed his face.

"It's my favorite raccoon dog!" Trisha exclaimed as she hurried over and wrapped her arms around the pudgy mammal.

"Why Trisha? Why did you request me?" The mammal groaned but patted the brown bunny on the head none the less with one of his small black paws.

"Because you are the best Dave! Sarah come meet Dave!"

Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She managed to wriggle free of Atom who had been holding the bunny close. Her small paws carrying her over to the raccoon dog who kept the same bored look on his face but lifted his other arm up so Sarah could easily wrap her paws around the raccoon dog's waist.

Dave let out a sigh as he kept looking forward, "You getting in on this too Atom?"

The yellow painted dog nearly jumped into the air as he clambered over, wrapping his arms around Dave's head and holding him close.

Nick looked over at Delta for some kind of explanation as to why they had specially requested this mammal. Delta shrugged and leaned over, "This is the third year, Trisha heard one of the other adults say they never see Dave smile so ever since then she requests him and tries to get him to laugh."

"That's kind of cute," Judy chuckled.

"Alright campers," Dave mumbled as he managed to get free. "Welcome to the Manta Bay aquarium spring camp."

The way the raccoon mixed mammal spoke made it sound like he was about to collapse from boredom. Nick and Judy, however, couldn't help but giggle as Trisha climbed up behind Dave and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She then popped her head from behind Dave's and smiled at her friends.

"The world is her jungle gym isn't it," Dave mumbled before letting out a sigh. He then noticed Nick and Judy and gave them a polite nod. "See we have some newcomers. Welcome. My name is Dave."

"Dave the magnificent!" Trisha exclaimed.

"Dave the stupendous!" Emily added.

"Dave the awesome!" Delta tossed in.

Atom hurried in front of Dave and turned to his friends. He made a series of paw signs before stepping to the side and throwing his arms up as if showing off Dave like he was a new car. Everyone, including Dave, turned to look at Delta who snorted.

"Dave the ice cream!"

Once introductions were done and rules gone over it was time to enter the aquarium. The different groups of campers split off to enjoy the variety of exhibits. As it turned out one of the benefits of the camp taking place during the refurbishment was that the aquarium was closed to the rest of the public. Which meant they had the whole place to themselves.

Dave led them underneath a gigantic blue whale skeleton before stopping just beneath it and pointing up. Everyone looked upward as the raccoon dog explained some interesting facts about the whale. Trisha chiming in.

"Dave killed this one himself ya know," Trisha began, still holding onto their counselor.

"No I didn't," Dave said, his expression the same as when they had all met.

"Dove right into the water and wrestled it for 2 whole days," Trisha continued as she smiled down at Sarah who hurried up and listened intently.

"That didn't happen."

"When he was done he cooked it up and gave the whole town whale burgers."

"Why are you so weird?"

The next exhibit was a large tank that looked like it was filled with a forest. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was seaweed. Judy and Sarah had never seen such a sight, their paws pressed against the glass as they tried to get a closer look.

"It's like the forests back home," Sarah said as her eyes scanned the swaying seaweed.

"Where is home, Sarah?" Dave asked politely as he walked up stood next to the multi-colored bunny.

"My sister and I are from Bunny Burrow," Sarah said happily as she turned to smile at Dave.

"So is it more like Bridgewood or Bunny Brook?"

Both Sarah and Judy turned to look at Dave in surprise.

"You know about Bunny Burrow?" Judy asked.

"Of course he does," Trisha exclaimed, "He knows everything."

"Its brighter back home though," Sarah mumbled as she looked back into the tank.

The young bunny had a point. The inside of the seaweed tank was somewhat plain and drab. While the water was clear and looked cool the backdrop of the dark green sea plant didn't do much to spark the imagination. The occasional silver-scaled fish would lazily swim by and didn't do much to make the tank exciting.

Dave looked from the tank and then to Sarah. A pensive look on his face before he reached down and took the young doe by the paw and led her away.

"I think I know a place you will like," The raccoon dog said as he led the group through the halls past several other exhibits.

Dave gave short explanations to each exhibit as they passed but kept them moving. He told them they would visit those spots later but for now he wanted to show Sarah something, he kept reminding them to behave themselves though because he was kind of breaking their schedule by taking them to a certain exhibit.

"Remember to try and not disturb the art camp as they need to focus on their drawings," Dave instructed as the group came around the corner. Before them, a large tube rose from the floor and went all the way to the ceiling and was filled with every color imaginable. The coral exhibit was truly one to behold. The aquarium staff had painstakingly created a reproduction of a coral reef. The different species of coral made the tank look like it was filled with colored rocks of various shapes and sizes. The coral, however, wasn't the only thing giving off bright colors. The fish that normally inhabited the coral out in the wild all had their own palate of bright colors and the tank in the aquarium was no different. Schools of fish swirled around the tank in some kind of coordinated dance of color.

It was no surprise as to why the art camp had chosen this tank to use as a kind of inspiration for their drawings. Several mammals in dark green shirts with the art camp logo on the back sat spread out around the tank. Each of them studying the exhibit before putting their noses back to the large art books resting either on the floor or in the mammal's laps.

The whole scene was actually somewhat serene and exactly what many of the young artists needed to concentrate on creating bright and vibrant pictures.

One such mammal was currently chewing on the end of her sketch pencil as she tilted her head slightly. There had been a beautiful parrot fish in front of the red panda just moments before but she had looked away for just a second and found it had vanished.

Her lips curled into a smile however when she spotted him once more, hovering over some bright green elkhorn coral.

"There you are," She mumbled softly to herself as she continued her sketch, pleased with how everything was turning out. She was already planning on a new color scheme for him which would-

"Needs rockets," Came a sweet whisper behind the red panda as she felt someone climbing on her back, making her bend forward slightly before a pair of brown arms wrapped around her shoulders for support.

"Parrotfish don't have rockets, Trisha," The panda giggled as she felt a soft cheek rub against her own.

"Well then yours would be the first," Trisha said matter a factly.

"First what? Parrotfish in space?"

"Uh….yes!"

"Why would he need to go to space?" The young artist asked, chuckling at her friend's suggestion.

"To fight the evil space lord, duh."

"Trisha you are so weird," The red panda pointed out.

"Yes but mom says I'm loveable," The doe teased. "And you know it's a good idea."

There was a sudden squeal of happiness nearby and the two looked over to see a cream colored bunny laughing as Atom lifted her up and gave her one of his famous hugs. The painted dog began to spin around with the bunny still wrapped up in her arms, causing the does feet to flail.

"Atom hugs are the bestest!" The small doe exclaimed as the twirling came to a stop. The bunny spotted Trisha and her chocolate brown eyes widened as she began to wave. "Hi, Trisha."

"Hi Oceane," Trisha said as she beamed at her friend from school. "You draw any space fish?"

"Space fish?" The bunny asked as she tilted her head slightly. Her confusion was soon replaced by more giggles as Atom buried his muzzle into the side of Oceane's neck and snorted. "Atom that tickles!"

"See Velvet, no one else is drawing space fish," Trisha pointed out. "You could be the first."

"Or you could let me draw in peace," the red panda suggested, knowing full well this wasn't an option. She couldn't help but smile though as her friend continued to offer suggestions on how to "improve" her current work. Most of them involved some kind of addition of jetpacks, rockets, or torpedo tubes.

As the science class and art class mingled Judy and Nick found a spot by the large tank that was relatively vacant. Both of them were so engrossed with the different array of sea life that they didn't really notice much of what was going on around them. Nor did they notice just how close they were standing to one another. This changed however when Nick reached up to point out a small group of clownfish that darted by. His arm gently brushing against Judy's. Instead of moving away though the young doe couldn't help but lean closer to the fox as she looked up to where he was pointing.

"That one has a smaller fin on his side than the others," Nick pointed out.

Judy squinted slightly and noticed what Nick was talking about.

"Poor little guy," Judy cooed as she watched the small fish struggling to stay in one spot. A slightly larger clownfish swam over and nudged the other, helping it stay in one spot.

A larger queen angel fish swam lazily over the clownfish, its bright yellow scales shining in the lights of the exhibit.

"They are so small," Nick pointed out with a snort.

"And what's wrong with small?" Judy asked with a chuckle.

"What?"

"You make it sound like small fish can't do anything," Judy said as she smirked up at the larger mammal, amused at how his emerald eyes widened.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Judy, honest," The fox said as he raised his paws up in defense.

"Nick."

"Yeah?"

"I'm messing with you."

A look of relief came over the fox who let out a sigh before smiling at Judy who scrunched her nose at the fox.

"I like their color too," Judy said as she looked back at the fish in the tank.

"Color?"

"That kind of orange is my favorite," Judy said absentmindedly as she studied the clownfish that swam upward towards the top of the tank.

Had she looked over at Nick she would have seen one of the biggest and dumbest grins on the young tod's face.

 _She likes orange! I am kinda that orange. Or is it red? Should I ask what she thinks of red? Maybe she likes red too._

Nick's thoughts were interrupted when Judy leaned against him gently. He looked down and noticed how she was gazing at the fish in the tank. Did she know she was leaning against him? Did it really matter? Why did her fur feel so soft and wonderful?

Nick decided to simply enjoy the moment and looked back at the ecosystem of color before him.

The moment didn't last long as everyone's attention suddenly went back to one of the artists.

"Ummm….hello!?" A fox in an art camp shirt said loudly.

Judy looked over and her eyes widened in panic as she noticed her younger sister currently sitting in the larger mammal's lap, her arms wrapped around his waist as she nuzzled into him. The fox had a large red scarf wrapped around his neck, which Sarah began to bury her head underneath only to poke her adorable little face out of and smile happily up at the fox she was currently hugging.

"Sarah!" Judy exclaimed as she began to walk over. From the looks of it, Sarah wasn't in any danger as the fox had simply wanted to return to drawing, the small multi-color doe interrupting his work.

"What? I thought we were supposed to hug the art campers," Sarah said innocently as she nodded over at Trisha and Atom who were still either holding or laying on one of the art campers.

"Zieg! How come she gets a hug?" Oceane exclaimed as she scurried over, having freed herself from Atom momentarily.

"Because she just crawled on my lap and- ack!" The fox let out before the cream-colored bunny reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling into his cheek.

"I want one too," Oceane explained with a purr.

The fox groaned and began to squirm in his seat, it was obvious he was trying to stand up but with Sarah, in his lap and Oceane holding him from the side, the larger predator was having trouble getting up.

"Hug pile on Zieg!" Trisha announced as she scrambled over.

"Yes, go bug- I mean hug Zieg," Velvet said with a laugh. While she acted relieved to be rid of Trisha she had secretly enjoyed the moment with her bubbly friend.

"I am trying to art over here," The fox complained but it fell on deaf ears as Trisha reached him and stood on the other side of the fox that Oceane was on, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh no…no no no!" The fox exclaimed as he saw a certain painted dog running over on all fours, an open mouth grin on his face. With a bunny on either side of him and one curled up on his lap, the poor fox couldn't escape.

There was a thud followed by fits of laughter as Atom joined in on the group hug. His weight tipped the scales and caused Zieg to fall on his back as the bunnies and painted dog wrapped their arms around him.

"Poor guy," Nick chuckled.

"Trisha!" Judy shouted which caused the brown doe to poke her head up from the pile of bunnies and painted dog. "Nick looks like he needs a hug."

Nick's ears fell behind his head and his eyes went wide as three bunnies charged after him. The fox quickly high tailing it as he ran around the coral exhibit.

"Delta? Little help?" The fox in the red scarf pleaded as the larger painted dog pup lifted him up in a bear hug.

"Oh yeah, like I have any control over him," Delta laughed as he watched the fox squeezed by his friend. "Whatcha drawing?"

The brown painted dog picked up Zieg's sketch pad and studied the rough outline of one of the larger fish currently swirling around in the tank.

"Needs rockets," The painted dog suggested before setting the pad down and strolling back up to the tank.

The rest of the camp flew by in a blur of laughs, hugs, and Dave with the same bored expression on his face. While at first glance one would think it would be boring to have the raccoon dog as their guide it turned out Dave really knew his stuff. Even though he spoke in a monotone voice and didn't seem as vibrant as other mammals that worked the aquarium he still made for an interesting part of the camp. Other counselors would actually seek him out for information when they were stumped by one of the camper's questions. Dave would take a deep sigh and then explain the answer. Whether it was about certain fish migration patterns, the size of certain seaborne predators, or the fact that male seahorses were the ones that gave birth. His answers were elaborate yet simple at the same time, grasping everyone's attention as he explained in the same bored tone.

The camp wasn't just interesting thanks to the aquarium and Trisha's constant attempts at getting inside one of the tanks. It was fun because Nick grew even closer to his group of new friends. During the past visits to the seaside city, he had only been there for a short while. Sure during the Halloween trip, he had spent the night and during the holidays even his mother had stayed at Jean's with him. Most of those times had been spent with his family though. He loved them all of course but to have a chance like this to just hang out with mammals his own age did the fox wonders.

Top that off with the fact that it wasn't just the mammals of Manta Bay that he got to spend time with and you had one happy tod. For all the hardships Judy had faced thanks to a certain fox back in the Burrows she had not only warmed up to Nick but started to see him as one of her closest friends. She was rather popular back home. Her positive attitude and general excitement about the world made it so she was well liked. She, however, didn't have that many predator friends. She also didn't have many friends that made her smile the way Nick did. He didn't even have to do much, sometimes it just took a smile and Judy felt her knees go weak.

One of the most important mammals in Judy's life was her sister Sarah. Sure she had over 200 other siblings and her littermates were always very close to her. Sarah though was special and Judy fought so many battles to make others see that. The fact that Nick saw that at the very beginning meant so much to Judy. It also meant so much to hear the young multicolored doe laugh so much and so loudly.

There was a moment by the touch tank that really showed Judy what kind of mammal Nick was. Sarah had been hesitantly staring at a starfish that sat right in front of her. While other members of their group stuck their paws, or in Trisha's case head, into the tank to see what certain sea creatures felt like Sarah seemed slightly hesitant. That was until Nick strolled up beside her and started to whisper something in Sarah's erect ears.

Judy watched from a distance, her own paw gently caressing another starfish. She, however, was so focused on Nick and Sarah. The smaller doe bit her lip and nodded hesitantly. Nick then smiled and gently placed his paw into the water and began to run it over the starfish. Sarah watched for a moment before dipping her own paw into the water and poking the small sea creature. She then opened her paw and gingerly placed it next to Nick's.

"See, not so bad right Sarah?" Nick asked sweetly.

It wasn't a condescending tone, it wasn't an annoyed one if anything it was one filled with pride. Nick was proud of Sarah.

Judy felt a tear roll down her cheek but quickly rubbed it away, only to realize her paw was covered in seawater. She froze and gagged which caused Nick and Sarah to look up. The doe felt the blush going up her ears as a smug smile crossed Nick's handsome face. Sarah meanwhile pointed into the water and jumped up and down.

"Judy The starfish is so rough! I thought it would be more squishy."

"Alright everyone, time to go check out the stingray tank," Dave said as he corralled his campers back up. He then looked over at Trisha whose head was soaking wet and rolled his eyes. "You know where the towels are right?"

"You mean superhero capes?"

"Trisha…"

While every exhibit, activity, and team building game was fun, everyone couldn't wait for the final night of the camp. The night they would get to sleep in the aquarium in front of the tanks. As it turned out their group got to pick which tank to sleep in front of. The coral tank was already taken sadly. Judy thought the jellyfish tank would be neat, the glow from the jellies acting like a night light. Sadly that tank was taken. Sarah suggested the seaweed tank, but wouldn't ya know that one was gone too.

Suggestion after suggestion was already taken. The other counselors having found a way to reserve most of the tanks ahead of time for their groups. Dave, however, was undeterred when he found this out and simply told them not to worry as he knew which tank was the best one. This of course started a whole guessing game with Trisha and Emily shouting out more absurd suggestions as the day went on.

"We do not have a jellybean tank, Emily…" Dave would mumble.

"What about a pinecone tank?"

"No Trisha…that just sounds weird. Who would want to sleep next to a pile of pinecones anyways?"

Half the group raised their paws which caused the raccoon dog to roll his eyes.

The night of the sleepover they all met inside the large Aquarium lobby. All of them holding sleeping bags and backpacks filled with snacks. Group after group were led off by their counselors to get ready for their evening nestled by the large tanks. When Dave showed up everyone was rather excited, the suspense having built up over the course of the day. The current bet was a giant ice cream tank, Atom insisting that it was a real thing and just hidden away somewhere in the building.

"Ready?" The fluffy mammal asked as he inspected his group, something odd was in his eyes. Nick could have sworn that Dave was actually….excited?

Everyone nodded and followed the raccoon dog through the halls. They passed the other groups of campers. All of them setting up their sleeping bags on a series of air mattresses that had been brought in for the event. A few were already changed into their pajamas and gossiping with their fellow campers.

They passed exhibit after exhibit when suddenly Trisha's ears perked up.

"No way…."

Dave didn't look back but a slight strut in his step told Trisha she was onto something.

"I didn't think we could! It wasn't on the list. I have been here for 3 years! It never showed up!"

"where are we going?" Delta asked.

Emily looked over at the painted dog and shrugged.

Judy and Sarah hurried up beside Nick and gave him questioning looks, the fox, however, was just as confused as them. The only one who didn't look confused was Atom who signed something that caused Delta to snort.

"He says, Ice cream Tank."

It wasn't the ice cream tank. It was something even more spectacular.

The Manta Bay aquarium boasted many wonderful exhibits and projects. The coral tank was well known. They had one of the largest touch tanks in the world. Their ecosystem exhibits and deep sea tanks were some of the few in existence.

One exhibit, however, stood out. Images of it were plastered on postcards, calendars, books, and posters that mammals could buy in the gift shop. A few years ago it was just called: The Big Blue Tank.

After two manta rays, however, were rescued from the wild and rehabilitated it was renamed The Manta Tank after its two star residents. Housing such large creatures though required a large tank which the Aquarium already possessed. Sitting at 4 stories tall with 1.2 million gallons it was the largest windowed tank on the planet. It wasn't just inhabited by two manta rays though. Fish of all shapes and sizes called the tank home. They would lazily swim around in giant circles and patterns, ensuring that there was always a fishy friend to look at on the other side of the glass.

It was also the perfect place to enjoy a slumber party.

They had visited the tank on the first day of the camp so it wasn't exactly a new sight. The situation, however, was just something beyond words for the gang who all stood in front of the tank, still holding onto their sleeping bags, all of their eyes on the large tank.

The silence inside the large viewing area was interrupted by Trisha who dropped her sleeping gear and suddenly rushed Dave, burying her face in the raccoon dog's stomach.

"It's the best Dave," The bunny said, her voice muffled as she held the mammal close.

It took them a little while to set up all their sleeping gear. Dave had several inflatable mattresses set up in front of the large tank. While Trisha wanted to sleep right up against the tank Dave managed to convince them all to keep things a few feet from the tank, insisting it would help with the view.

The raccoon dog had to constantly come round and realigned the mattresses because Trisha and Sarah would try to find ways to stack them in an attempt to make a fort. On one occasion Trisha tried to get Sarah to distract Dave which only worked for about a second as the bunny became somewhat distracted by one of the giant manta rays that lazily flapped by the large viewing window.

Carol arrived a little later to help walk the girls to one of the restrooms nearby so they could change. The porcupine had a bit of a slow time at it because of her cast. Judy offered to help the mammal who smiled and said she could manage. When they returned to the viewing area each of them was dressed for sleep. The boys had returned as well. Judy couldn't help but snort at the fact Atom had the same captain carrot pajamas as Trisha. The bunny and painted dog both striking the hero's familiar pose before Trisha was scooped up by Atom and hugged.

It took a while but eventually, everyone managed to get settled down. Each of them were soon nestled in their sleeping bags looking at the large tank. Judy watched as a large sunfish clumsily moved across the viewing window. She looked to her side and smiled at Sarah who was memorized by the large fish. Beyond Sarah Trisha laid in her own sleeping bag, her attention on Delta as the two chatted. Judy looked over her shoulder and towards the other members of her group. Nick's attention was on the giant tank before them. Emily was busy giggling at Atom as he crawled around in a few circles on top of his sleeping bag before plopping down and closing his eyes.

Judy didn't realize how tired she was until she was curled up in her sleeping bag. With every passing second, her eyelids grew heavier. She let her body to the rest as she laid in her sleeping bag, the last thing she saw before sleep took her was Nick whose bright green eyes glanced in her direction, a warm smile crossing his lips as he watched the bunny drift into dreamland.

Against one of the walls to the large viewing area, two mammals sat on a regular spring mattress. Carol was unable to have an air mattress because of her back. Dave, however, didn't mind, having grown used to such an arrangement a while ago. The porcupine rested her head on the raccoon dog's chest as she looked across the room towards the campers who each began to drift off to sleep.

"This was really sweet of you Dave," Carol whispered as she patted her paw on the other mammal's chest.

"I try," Dave mumbled.

"You succeed," Carol whispered, leaning up and gently kissing the raccoon dog on the cheek.

The smallest of smiles formed on Dave's lips as he watched his campers fall asleep and held sweet Carol close.

-Sometime later-

Judy's eyes fluttered open and she smacked her lips before letting out a yawn. There were no windows to the outside but judging from how everyone was still curled up, Dave and Carol included, it was late in the evening. Judy blinked the sleep from her eyes as she looked around. She felt a sudden surge of panic course through her tiny body when she looked over at Sarah's sleeping bag which sat empty nearby.

The gray bunny sat up in her own sleeping bag and looked around quickly, her heart rate going up before she spotted her sister. She had to stifle a sigh as she spotted Sarah's head poking out of Trisha's sleeping bag, the top of the bunny's head nestled up against Trisha's chin, her black and white ears sat on either side of Trisha who looked rather pleased as she held Sarah in her arms, the two staying nice and warm in the shared sleeping bag.

Judy then scanned the rest of her surroundings. Delta, Emily, and Atom were all asleep. Nick, like Sarah, was not in his sleeping bag. Judy's ears raised as she noticed Nick sitting at the foot of his air mattress on the floor, looking up at the large tank before him. His expression was one of content as his eyes scanned the large aquatic tank in front of him. He looked so happy and at peace that Judy couldn't help but stare at him for a moment or two before deciding on something.

As quietly as she could the bunny crawled from her sleeping bag and onto the floor. Nick's ears flicked and he turned to look at the doe who froze mid-step and gave him a nervous smile. They stared at one another for a second or two before Nick nodded his head, signaling Judy to come closer.

Neither of them spoke as Judy made her way over to Nick. The bunny sat down right next to Nick and rested her head against his shoulder. Joy filled the small bunny as she felt Nick raise his arm only to bring it around the small gray doe, bringing her closer to him.

One of the large manta rays swam by in its majestic migration around the tank. It slowed and turned to one side, showing the two young mammals its large black and white streaked back. Nick and Judy watched the sea creature as it made its way through the water.

"Nick…" Judy began but sadly she hadn't thought about what words to use next. She wanted to say something though. She wanted to thank him, to comfort him, to just remind him what a wonderful friend he had been during this camp. Instead, she asked him a simple question. "Will you write to me when this is done?"

Nick didn't even hesitate as he squeezed Judy close, "Sure Judy, only if you write back to me."

"Of course Nick," Judy whispered as she nuzzled into the fox. She felt so content in that moment that she let her eyes slowly drift close as a sea turtle waved its fin, pushing its body through the water in the tank.

"Sarah too," Nick whispered.

"Oh for sure," Judy giggled.

Nick chuckled as he ran a paw up Judy's arm. Judy let out a pleased sigh. The feelings she felt were strange but so wonderful she didn't dare question them, even if they were unfamiliar.

"whats so funny?"

"I actually have some postcards you will like."

"Really? What are they of?"

"You'll just have to wait and see officer Hopps."

Judy smiled as she kept her eyes closed, her nose wiggling as she breathed in the fox's scent. The two young mammals remained silent as the cool blue water in the tank shimmered before them. Nick holding Judy close as they both drifted off to sleep once more.

* * *

 **Hey all!**

 **Wow, so sorry this kind of turned into a long chapter. Scene after scene just came out and before I knew it we had 13k in words. Guess you can see why I split this thing up into 3 parts.**

 **I'm sure some of you may have noticed a few familiar faces in the art camp scene.**

 **Thanks to _OceRydia_ for Oceane, _Ziegelzeig_ for Zieg, and _Red Velvet Panda_ for Velvet. When I first started writing that scene I didn't have any characters planned but I wanted it to be special. Thanks to your characters the scene was so much fun to write and I thank you all again for the use of those characters/sonas. And I think I speak for a lot of people when I say thank you for the wonderful works of art you all have made for this fandom!**

 **As always thanks to my best bud _Fox in the hen house_ for the continued use of his adorable creation Sarah Hopps. I mean scene after sweet scene just came to mind and I think one of the reasons this story is doing so well is because you created such an adorable little bunny that we are all falling in love with. **

**Thank you all for your patience with my works. Not just here but in my other stories which haven't been getting much attention. I have been having to deal with a lot of drama and stress because of a certain project in this fandom and it has made writing for me somewhat stressful. Its stories like Manta Bay though that keep me going.**

 **Thank you all again for your patience, reviews, and support.**

 **Cya at Manta Bay!**

 **-Blue**


	6. The Birthday Bun

-The Birthday Bun-

Vivienne had her eyes closed as she let the cool water from the faucet pour over her paws. It was odd that this was such a calming thing to her but sometimes just taking things slow and enjoying the smallest of sensations was exactly what the vixen needed before she got ready for work.

"Viv?" Came a voice from the phone currently pressed to the side of the fox's head. Vivienne blinked and suddenly realized she may have just spaced out on her phone call with her sister.

"Sorry Jean just lost myself in thought," The tired vixen muttered as she resumed cleaning the many dishes in the sink.

"That's the third time," Jean pointed out. "Sis you are working too much again…"

"Well you know how bills can be," Vivienne pointed out.

"Price ya pay for living in that fancy city high-rise of yours" Jean shot back.

"Oh yeah, Nick and I sure are living in the lap of luxury."

To be fair they could be much worse off. They lived in a small apartment in the Central district next to the Sahara Square region, it was one of the more affordable neighborhoods. It wasn't exactly the ritziest part of town but it wasn't a dump either. In order for Vivienne to afford such a place though she did have to work a lot of overtime.

"You are doing an amazing job Viv, don't you dare forget that," Jean said encouragingly.

"I know, just wish I could give him more," Vivienne muttered as she looked over at the fridge near the sink.

Posted on the center of the fridge was a large picture that Nick had brought home from his most recent visit to Manta Bay. It was a group picture from the aquarium science camp. Nick was in the center with his cousin Emily. A multi-colored bunny was on the young tod's shoulder as he held her up. A broad smile on both their faces. Emily was hefting up a brown bunny on her own shoulder, their smiles equally bright. A gray bunny had her arms around Nick's waist as two painted dogs stood on either side of the group waving happily, their arms around each of the fox's shoulders. The group was all wearing the same science camp shirts, happy expressions and each of their faces.

Nick not only returned to Zootopia with the picture but happy little stories about his friends there. It always brought a smile to Vivienne's muzzle when she looked at the picture. She couldn't be happier for her son or more proud. Even for all the hardships, the young fox had faced from other species he was so open-minded and willing to make friends with any mammal whether they be prey or pred.

"Every mother wishes that for her pup," Jean cooed. "It's only natural."

"I know," The vixen sighed as she returned to cleaning the dishes. "You know he has been raising money for train tickets again?"

"Really? How is that going?"

"Well on a paper mammal's salary…" Vivienne drifted off.

Nick had been working so hard, picking up paper routes, doing the odd job around the neighborhood. While very proud of her little fox she did miss the time they had together. Nick would normally return from school, give his mother a kiss on the cheek, and then hurry out the door. Or in the mornings he would wake up early so he could deliver the morning papers. He wasn't working himself to exhaustion but Vivienne felt bad, a tod his age should be out with the other neighborhood mammals having fun and enjoying their younger years.

"When it comes to the train tickets you know Rob and I would be happy to help out. He is our nephew after all," Jean offered.

"I don't want to burden you two," Vivienne said proudly. While the offer was very kind she didn't want to have her child burden her sister.

"Oh please sis. You are family and we love having both of you here."

"I know but it's just…." Vivienne trailed off.

"How dad raised us?"

"Exactly. Paw outs must always be returned and I'm already too indebted to you all for looking after Nick over the spring break, and the holidays and Halloween…listing them off like this isn't exactly a good thing is it?"

"Are you kitting Viv? You're just helping me make a tab."

The two vixens shared a laugh before Vivienne steered the conversation back to what they had been on before she had drifted off.

"So is Emily excited about the vacation?"

There was a somewhat sad sigh on the other end and Vivienne could tell something was up.

"Well, she was till we realized when it takes place…"

"Oh?"

"Well I'm sure you are familiar with her best friend Trisha," Jean began.

Vivienne chuckled, "Oh I have heard a lot about that bunny. Is it true she went swimming in the touch tank at the aquarium?"

Upon his return from Manta Bay Nick always had a story that involved a rather energetic bunny. Each one was crazier than the last and she began to wonder if this bunny even existed in this plane of reality. It wasn't until the Science Camp that Vivienne finally saw a picture of this doe. Several pictures from Manta Bay came back with the tod and he happily told his mother the story behind each one.

It was at this point the vixen realized something. Every time she pointed out a certain gray bunny in the pictures, her brilliant purple eyes shining at the camera, her son would grow nervous and change the subject.

 _His first crush! My sweet tod has his first crush with a bunny! Such a cute young girl too!_

"Oh no she just dunked her head in this time," Jean said as if this was perfectly normal.

"Oh that makes sense," Vivienne chuckled.

"Well as it turns out our trip is during Trisha's birthday….right in the middle of it too. So we can't necessarily delay it this late in the game."

"Oh no," Vivienne sighed as she finished washing the dishes and began to dry her paws. "What about the others? Those painted dog brothers?"

"Delta and Atom?"

"Yes," Vivienne said, holding back a laugh about the names. Of course, she had met a few painted dogs in Zootopia, some of them with their own odd series of names.

"Those two aren't actually brothers," Jean corrected.

Vivienne closed her eyes and made the mental note, "Sorry, I am still trying to learn everything about Nick's friends."

 _Nick's friends._

The vixen felt her heart swell when she said the words, knowing full well the difficulties Nick had been facing through the years thanks to speciest mindsets.

"They might as well be, never really find one without the other."

"Isn't one of them mute?"

"Atom is," Jean said with a hint of sadness. "Lost his voice after an accident."

"Oh the poor pup," Vivienne said as she put a paw to her chest.

"Yes but the thing about painted dogs is they really look after their own. When Atom showed up to a specialist to start learning paw language Delta was waiting there and wanted to learn it all too so Atom would have someone to talk to."

"Oh gosh where is a tissue?" Vivienne sighed as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Oh, I still tear up, such sweet pups. They both helped Trisha raise the money to help get Nick over here for the Spring Camp."

"So they are going to be out of town for Trisha's birthday as well?" Vivienne asked, returning to the previous topic.

"Yes, they are at a summer camp with some other painted dogs. A kind of community retreat will have to ask Larry more about it next time I see him."

"What about the rest of the city? The way Nick goes on about Trisha she makes friends very easily," Vivienne teased.

Jean laughed and took a moment, "That she does. I do love that little bun of energy and I am glad Emily has a friend like her. But sadly it being summer a lot of folks are out of town for vacation or busy with events. It just so happens her birthday this year got so booked up that well…"

"Oh no," Vivienne began, a sudden feeling of dread filling her as she realized what this might mean for the young bunny's birthday.

"Yeah….no one is able to make it."

Vivienne looked back at the fridge with the picture of her Nick surrounded by friends. Her gaze going to the bunny with brilliant blue eyes. The one who had taken it upon herself to raise money and do something nice for Nick and the others.

"Jean?"

"Yeah, Viv?"

"Can I have Mrs. Rose's phone number?"

June 17th rolled around and the summer was in full swing. Many young mammals loved this time of year because it meant summer camps, adventures, but most importantly no school. To a certain brown bunny, though it was an extra special day, it was Trisha's birthday.

While Trisha wasn't able to have a big party that day with all her friends they had all made plans to get together as a group when they all returned from their various trips and camps. Trisha saying she wanted to go play laser tag and how all of them had to stand in a line and let her get a free point since they were abandoning her this summer. The gang had all felt terrible about not being there for their friend's birthday until she gave them each a hug and told them it was just a day on a calendar and that she was more than ok rescheduling. She also reminded them that her presents had to be extra epic that year.

While the brown bunny had put on a brave face Trisha's mother had seen the way her little bunny's ears would droop whenever she was reminded about her birthday.

Peggy, however, knew exactly how to shoo the droopy ears away. She had told Trisha that they had a fun surprise for Trisha's birthday planned. That did the trick. Trisha was terrible at surprises, always wanting to know what was up no matter how casual she acted about it. The doe filled her days trying to guess what was planned or sneak around the house to find clues. Much to her annoyance, she hadn't figured anything out.

When the big day came Trisha was surprised when her mother woke her up early in the morning. The bunny felt a gentle paw rubbing the fur on her cheek.

"Hey there my big birthday girl," Peggy cooed softly.

"Mmmmm….mom?"

"Time to wake up sweetie," Peggy whispered as she leaned down and pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead.

"It's so early though. Summer is for noon wake-ups," Trisha moaned.

"Well, we have some big plans today. Besides, 9 am is not early."

"It is in the summer," Trisha moaned as she turned over in bed and nuzzled her pillow.

Peggy chuckled as she rubbed the base of Trisha's ear and earned a purr from the sleeping bun.

"Well I guess Grammy Rose will just have to eat all those chocolate pancakes herself," Peggy suggested.

She waited a minute and watched as Trisha's ears started to grow firmer, she had a feeling mentioning both pancakes and Trisha's grandmother would get her going.

"Grammy Rose was let out of jail?!" Trisha asked as she rolled over in bed, her bright blue eyes wide with excitement.

"She wasn't in jail in the first place!"

After getting dressed and ready Trisha skipped down the hallway to the kitchen. The sweet scents wafting in the homemade Trisha excited for what was waiting for her. When she turned the corner to the kitchen she saw her family was already present.

"There's the birthday bun," Peggy announced.

Everyone turned to look at Trisha who began to wiggle with excitement.

"Oh gosh she is doing the thing again," Trisha's eldest brother Brandon grumbled.

Trisha remained in the doorway and simply raised her arms upward, waiting as she wiggled.

"Go hug your sister boys," Trisha's father ordered with a laugh.

Three young bucks all rose from the table and walked over to their sister who giggled happily. Each of them giving their sister a hug, she even got a kiss on the cheek from her youngest brother. She cooed and nuzzled each of her siblings. Her brothers were all older than her and had reached that age where such affection was sometimes annoying but having Trisha as a sister meant they had to deal with it since she enjoyed it so much.

An elder doe was sitting at the table. Her teal colored eyes looking at Trisha as she smiled at the young doe who squealed happily and scurried over.

"There is my little partner in crime," The brown bunny with graying fur said as she opened her arms and let her granddaughter climb right onto her lap.

"Morning Grammy," Trisha said softly as she rubbed her cheek against her grandmother's. "Glad you broke out of prison for this."

"The guards were sleeping but I still had to put on the charm to woo the warden," Grammy Rose chuckled.

"Mom! Really? Don't give her ideas," Trisha's father shot from the stove as he looked over at his mother still holding the purring Trisha.

"Did you do the thing with the ears?"

"Oh you bet, makes the boys go wild," The elder doe said with a wink.

Trisha giggled and practiced the wink herself which earned her a laugh from her grandmother who gave her another hug.

The rest of the morning was spent enjoying one of Trisha's breakfast choices. Her father's homemade chocolate pancake special. Each time he placed a pancake on her plate he would give his daughter a kiss on the cheek which had her giggling excitedly.

Trisha was allowed to put on her own whip cream only one day each year and the reason became clear.

"That's it, sweetie! Go go go," Grammy Rose cheered Trisha on as the bunny had to stand on her hind paws, having made a whip cream mountain nearly as tall as her on just one pancake.

"Oh gosh she is gonna have a sugar rush all day," Trisha's father groaned.

"She is always on a sugar rush dear," Peggy said as she sipped at her morning tea and watched Trisha use half a can of whip cream. "Don't forget the cherry, Trisha."

After a rather messy breakfast, the Rose family clambered into the family van. Trisha was allowed to pick where she wanted to sit and decided to have the middle row with her grandmother while the "riff-raff" sat in the back seat area. Trisha's brothers all grumbled as they climbed into the back row. The youngest, a gray buck named Gabe, reached up and gave one of Trisha's ears a rub on the tip which tickled the small doe causing her to giggle and turn to give her brother a look.

"It's your birthday ear rub," He tried to say innocently, knowing full well Trisha was ticklish in that spot.

"Enough chit-chat from the slums!" Trisha teased as she stuck out her tongue.

Gabe stuck out his own tongue but gave his sister a playful smirk as well. Trisha being the youngest meant she had to learn early on to stand her ground with the older bucks. She was rather lucky though that none of them really bullied her. There was the occasional time she was picked on but it wasn't exactly mean. Trisha being a bit of an odd bun meant she didn't hesitate to go after her brothers, occasionally pranking them before scurrying away.

Her parents always made sure that any issues were quickly resolved amongst their children, stating they didn't have time for silly little squabbles when there were so many adventures and fun times to be had.

Once underway Trisha began to try and get some information out of her grandmother, hoping the older doe would let slip where they were going.

"What about a boat ride on the bay?" Trisha asked as they passed a billboard that was advertising a local ferry service.

"Boring," Grandma Rose said as she waved her paw about. "Come on think of something better."

Trisha put a paw to her chin as a pensive look formed.

"What about…a boat ride but we also have to fight off some pirates in order to get their booty?"

"We already have enough booty," Trisha's grandma teased as she wiggled her rump into the seat which caused her granddaughter to snort and wiggle her own rear.

"Mom! Grandma Rose and Trisha are being weird again!" Came a groan from the very back row.

"It's your sister's birthday dear, she is allowed to be weird," Peggy said absentmindedly as she studied a map in the front seat.

"Wait does that mean every day is her birthday?"

"Darn straight!" Trisha barked and grinned evilly. "Which means I am older than you and now I get to pick the TV channels in the morning."

"You do that anyways or else you start licking whoever has the remote."

"You lick your brothers to get your way?" Grandma Rose asked a now nervous looking Trisha. "That's my girl, show them who is boss."

The rest of the car ride was just as weird as the start. Trisha had a favorite game with her grandmother on long car rides. She would point at some random object or sign outside the window and right on cue Grandma Rose would make up some story about said object.

"That telephone pole was actually put there by the very first settlers to Manta Bay," Grandma Rose began.

"Wasn't Manta Bay founded like years before telephone poles even existed?" Came a question from the slums.

"Yes, but this telephone pole was the very first one. They put it there and then started to invent the telephone so it had a purpose. It was originally used to keep an eye out for herds of redwood trees, they sometimes migrate here for the winter."

"Yeah Brandon, didn't you know that?" Gabe teased as he looked at his grandmother who gave the young buck a wink.

Eventually, the van passed by a sign welcoming passing vehicles to a town called Samoa. That's when Trisha lost it.

"Samoa?!" The bunny nearly burst from her seat.

"Told you she remembered the name of the town…." Trisha's father said with a smirk in the front seat.

"No way! No Way! Are we going there?" Trisha asked as she bounced up and down in her seat.

"Wait whats in Samoa again?" Gabe asked as he looked at his brothers in the slum part of the van.

Trisha turned around and had to wiggle herself up in order to look over the seat.

"You don't remember?!" Trisha asked as her bright blue eyes shined with excitement.

"Here we go…"Brandon began.

"Get ready for the squeak," Jeff said as he covered his ears.

At that exact moment, the van made a turn around a small forest which brought into view a giant red sign that had been carved into the shape of a locomotive.

Trisha didn't have to see the sign to know what it said. She looked right at her brothers and opened her mouth in a broad grin.

"Train Town!"

Even though Trisha had only just figured out where they were going it didn't take long for her impatience to get the best of her as she wriggled in her seat.

"Easy there my little firecracker," Grandma Rose cooed as she ran a paw down her granddaughters head, pressing the thick black tipped ears against Trisha's back.

"Grandma this is so amazing! Have you ever been?"

"I can't say I have sweetie, why don't you tell me about it," Grandma Rose chuckled, trying to find a way to keep Trisha from bursting right out her seatbelt.

"Oh my gosh, Grammy it's the best!" Trisha shouted. "They have all these mini trains but they aren't mini, they are just small, but they are also big enough for us to ride in them!"

Trisha spoke so quickly that it would just take her a second to explain one part of Train Town before moving onto the next.

From what Grandma Rose could gather though that Train Town was like a theme park of sorts. Large model trains would take guests around the park to a small western village, a nearby stream, or a lake where mammals could enjoy picnics.

Trisha being somewhat of a train nut meant that this was like heaven to her. Since Train Town was so far from Manta Bay though it was rare for them to get a chance to visit. She had been on several occasions, one time all her friends had managed to join her and they made a day trip out of it. The distance though made it so this was a unique treat.

Once parked in the dirt parking lot in front of the park the family exited the vehicle and took a moment or two to stretch. Peggy busied herself at the back of the van and called her husband over to help carry their picnic supplies.

Trisha was hopping up and down excitedly, sometimes even spinning around, as she looked ahead at the large red sign above the park entrance.

"We are at Train Town, this is the best, oh I hope they have the steam train running today, that one is my favorite," Trisha continued to gush about where they were as her family got ready for their day at the park.

Several other families were in the parking lot, casually strolling up to a ticket booth nearby. Train Town wasn't exactly the busiest of tiny theme parks but it still saw enough guests to keep it in operation all year round.

A friendly looking beaver was in the ticket booth which was made from an old caboose. He greeted the Rose family when they approached and Trisha's father took care of purchasing the tickets.

"Been to Train Town before?" The beaver asked as he began to get the tickets squared away.

"Several times," Dave said as he leaned against the counter. "My little girl loves this place so we thought it would be a treat for her birthday."

"Whose birthday is it?" The beaver asked excitedly.

Trisha being somewhat short meant that only hear ears could pop up over the counter. Her father leaned down and scooped up his little bun and lifted her up so she could smile and wave excitedly at the beaver.

"Mine! Oh my gosh, I love Train Town!"

"Well since it's your birthday would you like to be out junior conductor-" The beaver began but was cut off by the explosion of happiness that was Trisha.

"YES! Oh my gosh super yes!" Trisha said as she squirmed in her father's arms.

Trisha was given a special button that had the Train Town Logo on it. Underneath in red writing were the words 'Junior Conductor'.

Trisha wore the button with pride and puffed out her chest as she showed her brothers.

"Tickets please?" Trisha asked as she held out her paws to the bucks.

"We don't have any yet," Jeff chuckled.

"Then I'm gonna have to toss you off the moving train into the lake," Trisha said evilly.

The brothers all looked at one another hesitantly.

"We also accept hugs," Trisha suggested as she held up her arms, wiggling her digits.

The three bucks suddenly tried to scatter. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't exactly run very far or their parents would order them back. Trisha managed to get two of them pretty quickly. Once she released Jeff she looked around for her youngest brother Gabe. Her eyes brightened as she noticed Grandma Rose had grabbed Gabe by the nape of the neck and was holding him so he would be easy prey for the smaller doe who hurried over.

Trisha wrapped her arms around her tan colored brother and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder.

"See not so bad," Grandma Rose began.

Trisha suddenly leapt up and dragged her tongue across her brother's cheek which caused him to groan.

"That is the most adorable thing I have seen all day," The beaver chuckled as he counted out their tickets.

"Yeah tends to happen when you have a goofball like her around," Dave said with a laugh.

Once the tickets were paid for the gang headed into the park, following a wide dirt path that had train rails on either side.

"Thank you so much," Trisha exclaimed as she skipped ahead of her family and practically danced with excitement. "This is the best surprise ever!"

"Well this is actually only part of the surprise," Peggy explained as the group strolled past the main entrance gate.

Trisha had been so distracted by being in one of her favorite places that she had almost missed what her mother said. Her large ears twitched though and she looked back at her mom, a questioning look on her face.

Peggy simply smirked at Trisha before pointing to something just ahead of the group. Trisha turned and scanned their surroundings. Her eyes fell on a bench underneath a yellow umbrella. That's when she saw them.

Two mammals with russet fur and black paws sat patiently on the bench. Looking at all the mammals passing by. The young tod with emerald eyes glanced over at Trisha and beamed as he suddenly sat up and waved.

Trisha was frozen with excitement as her tail flicked. Eventually, her bottom began to wiggle, followed by her legs until the doe was shaking with excitement.

"Nick!" Trisha yelled as she threw her arms up and scurried over to her friend.

She took a running leap and propelled herself into the air right at the tod whose eyes went wide. Having not prepared for such a greeting Nick was tackled to the ground as Trisha wrapped her arms around the fox.

"Hi Trisha," Nick managed to groan as he wrapped his arms around the eager doe.

Trisha purred as she nuzzled her head against Nick's chin.

"Nick I am so glad to see you, what are you doing here?!"

"Well Samoa is between Zootopia and Manta Bay," Nick began.

"And we also wanted to come for your birthday," The vixen who had been sitting next to Nick said sweetly.

Trisha opened her eyes as she realized who this must be. The doe looked up and studied the lovely female fox, neglecting to get off Nick who was still on the ground beneath her.

Vivienne was wearing a lovely purple blouse that went well with her long green skirt. She carried with her a purse that was large and most likely held some kind of snack in case her tod got hungry. Her outfit was the definition of a mom clothing.

The two stared at one another for a minute before Vivienne held her arms open and smiled at Trisha who squealed with happiness as she clambered on up and received a hug.

"Happy Birthday Trisha," Vivienne whispered before planting a tender kiss on the bunny's forehead. "And thank you for looking after my Nick."

"The pumpkin queen looks after all her subjects," Trisha purred as she closed her eyes.

Nick watched from his spot in the dirt before he slowly got up and brushed his shorts clean and fixed his green shirt. It was actually a kind of touching sight to Nick, to see Trisha held by his mother. How the two acted like they had known one another for some time.

"Trisha, are you hugging strangers again?" Came Grandma Rose who waddled up along with the rest of Trisha's family.

"No…well not right now," Trisha giggled as she was set down by Vivienne. "Grandma this is the fox I told you about and his mom!"

"Oh, the handsome tod from Zootopia?" Grandma Rose asked playfully as she approached.

Nick looked over at Trisha with a smug look.

"Oh shut up, those are Judy's words, not mine."

This caused Nick's tail to swish, a goofy grin crossing his face.

"You must be Vivienne," Peggy said as she looked up at the vixen who gave the approaching bunnies a warm smile.

"Oh yes," Vivienne said with some hesitation, realizing how awkward this might be. Here she was, an adult fox picking up and hugging a small bunny. In Zootopia she wouldn't be surprised if the ZPD was barreling down the street in an attempt to rescue the poor doe. "I um-"

"It is so nice to finally meet you," Peggy said as she opened her arms and walked right up to Vivienne.

To Vivienne's surprise, she received a warm hug from Peggy who gushed about finally meeting. Trisha's father Dave came up after Peggy and extended a paw, insisting that Vivienne drop the Mr. Rose and call him by his first name. She agreed but only if he used hers as well.

When it came time to meet Grandma Rose Vivienne was somewhat nervous, having met several older bunnies before in Zootopia. They normally harbored some ill thoughts about foxes. Much to the vixens surprise though the older doe was rather eager to make her acquaintance.

"You are the spitting image of this beautiful vixen my mother used to work with when she lived in Fairfax," Grandma Rose began. "She had this picture of the two of them and go on and on about the adventures they had together."

"That's interesting," Vivienne began, a slightly shocked look on her lovely face. "My family used to live in Fairfax."

While the adults caught up Nick was being introduced to Trisha's brothers. Nick was a little surprised at first just how unfazed they all seemed about Trisha introducing the fox as her friend. It wasn't until he remembered where they were all from that he understood why they were so accepting.

"So your Emily's cousin?" Brandon asked.

"From Zootopia? Awesome! You ever get a chance to check out the baseball stadium in the Beach district?" Jeff asked.

"What about ice hockey? I heard they have a whole region covered in snow, must be so cool," Gabe exclaimed.

Trisha stood next to Nick during the series of questions and smiled up at the fox who seemed more than happy to entertain the brothers and their inquiries about the city he called home.

After spending some time getting to know one another and catching up it was time to visit the rest of the park. As much as Trisha was happy for the surprise visit from the Wildes she was currently in her favorite park and if she didn't get on a train soon she may explode.

Vivienne watched with amusement as Trisha climbed up on Nick's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nick didn't even hesitate to loop his arms so he could hold Trisha up better.

"Trisha what have we talked about using other mammals as transportation?" Peggy groaned.

Trisha's ears raised up and her tail flicked as she pointed forward and shouted, "Onward to battle!"

"Nick you don't have to carry her," Peggy said but Nick happily started hurrying down the dirt path towards a small train station.

"Your son has a lot of patience," Dave chuckled as he watched the fox and doe laughing and hurrying off.

"He actually enjoys it I think, "Vivienne said as she walked alongside the adults noticing how her son's tail swished happily as he carried the small brown bunny. Trisha's brothers hurried off after Trisha and Nick. "He has been talking non stop about his last visit to Manta Bay."

"Oh, the aquarium camp?" Dave asked. "Glad he enjoyed his time. Some of the kits think it's kind of boring but Trisha can't get enough of it."

"Nick loved it and I love hearing about it."

"Did you enjoy the pictures?" Peggy asked as she smiled up at Vivienne.

"Loved them, I especially like the one from the little picnic at Jean's. The one with that sweet Judy girl."

"Oh, that one is adorable. I had to wait for them not to notice me. Don't think they would want me taking pictures of them sitting so close."

Vivienne laughed and looked at Peggy," Thank you again for snapping that one."

Ahead of the adults Nick and Trisha were already waiting on a small train platform with several other kits. A nervous-looking raccoon looked over at the bunny currently holding onto the young fox's back.

Trisha noticed the gaze and looked down, "Sup?"

The raccoon took a step to the side and before Trisha could try and pounce on him and ask what was wrong a loud whistle came from down the tracks.

Nick felt the bunny on his back suddenly tense up, as one they looked down the track at the approaching train. Nick had to hold back his laughs as he felt Trisha begin to wiggle excitedly.

"Its one of the steam ones! I love the steam ones!" Trisha nearly shouted with joy.

The trains at Train Town weren't actual trains but scale models of the various locomotives of old. Some of them looked like they came right out of a western movie while others had a more modern design. The park boasted over 10 different models but luckily for them today one of Trisha's favorites was on the tracks.

The Lilly Belle was named after one of the founder's wives as a way of an apology from her husband for spending so much time and hard earned money on what was first a hobby but soon turned into a full-fledged park. It was designed after the old Mogul series of locomotive that could be found in the southern regions. Her stack was thinner than most but nicely rounded at the top. The green paint that graced the engine looked like it was polished daily as it gleamed in the afternoon sun. A lovely looking black fox was sitting behind the controls, wearing the old denim coveralls and hat combo that train engineers would wear in the old days and now in the movies.

"It's so cool!" Trisha giggled as she leaned down and pressed her cheek to Nick's so she could get a closer look at the train as it pulled into the station.

Nick having never been to Train Town before was still amazed at how realistic the train looked even though it was a quarter scale of what normal trains were.

The staff at Train Town prided themselves on how realistic their models actually were. Every part had a purpose and worked just like a real steam train.

"Next stop Grizzly Flats station!" Shouted a raccoon in an old blue conductor's uniform.

"Get us in the front," Trisha instructed.

Nick followed the bunny's request and scrambled into what looked like an old flatbed car with seats welded on.

"Two tails per seat please," The conductor instructed as he passed Nick and Trisha.

Trisha quickly scrambled off of Nick's back and sat next to the fox, wiggling until she was leaning right against the tod who looked around excitedly.

Several younger kits and pups climbed onboard. All of them with eager looks on their faces. Most of the adults were loading into the back.

"We are gonna go set up lunch," Peggy said as she walked by Nick and Trisha.

"Do you need any help?" Vivienne asked but was ushered towards the train.

"Yes Viv, by keeping an eye on Trisha, Dave is gonna have his paws full watching the boys as it is," Peggy teased.

Vivienne chuckled and boarded the train and took a seat next to Dave who rolled his eyes, "You laugh now but we are currently in her favorite park and she had a whole can of whip cream this morning so I am fully expecting some kind of craziness."

The vixen chuckled at the buck's comments and looked up the train towards her little one. Nick turned around and the biggest of smiles was on his muzzle as he waved at his mother. Trisha's ears twitched and she turned. Her bright blue eyes shined with such happiness as she waved at Vivienne who couldn't help but wave back at the two goofballs at the front of the train.

"Now departing to Grizzly Flats station!" The raccoon shouted from the rear of the train. "All Aboard!"

With that, the train lumbered into life and began to pull the cars down the track. Everyone onboard was jostled slightly at first but soon sat back and enjoyed the smooth ride through the park.

Trisha would occasionally point out landmarks to Nick, explaining what they all were.

"That is Gold Gulch, it's said to have gold from the gold rush era still buried in the sand," Trisha explained as they passed a babbling brook.

"Over there is old Thunder mine," Trisha squeaked as she leaned across Nick's lap and pointed at a small mine shaft with a water tower sitting next to it. "That's where the bandits hang out and keep their treasure."

"Is that an Indian village?" Nick asked as they passed a series of tents.

"Yeah! They are friendly though, especially since they know this train is currently carrying the Pumpkin Queen."

The train soon pulled into a small makeshift western village. The engineer brought the steam engine to a halt and allowed the passengers to disembark. The buildings were all to a certain scale. Nick realized rather quickly he wouldn't have been able to fit into any of them even if he tried. The small town only seemed to excite Trisha who began to hurry around, laughing maniacally as she pretended to be some kind of giant causing trouble in the small village.

Just beyond the western town was a ropes course and jungle gym which many of the kits hurried to. Each of them trying to climb higher than the others. Nick started climbing up one side only to feel something brush past him. Glancing around he was surprised to see Trisha hopping from one spot to the other as she scaled the structure with ease. Once on the top she looked down at Nick and wiggled her nose. Reaching down she helped Nick the rest of the way up so they could sit together.

Even though the structure was barely two stories in the air to the young kits climbing all over it was quite the accomplishment to brave the heights.

"Is that a train?" Nick asked as he looked over at a large structure through the trees. He glanced at Trisha who had a deadpan look on her face.

"Nick we are in a place called Train Town, the chances of it being a train are really high."

The two shared a laugh and descended the jungle gym and hurried through the trees towards a full-scale steam train. A lot of parts had been removed for safety but it still kept its more memorable parts. It had been turned into its own makeshift playground which many kits enjoyed. Trisha lead Nick into the main cab and started spouting out little facts about all the levers and gears inside. They even pretended to be barreling down an old track towards some unknown destination.

Nick watched as Trisha leaned out the window, the happiest of smiles on her lips. When she looked back at Nick her tail flicked.

The fox walked over and stood behind Trisha, wrapping his arms around her waist and giving her a hug which caused her to squeal happily.

"What was that for?"

"Just wanted to…ya, know…well….thanks Trisha…for-" Nick began as he looked down at the smiling bun.

Trisha simply nodded and leaned against her friend. No words were really needed.

The day was a kind of a blur to Nick who was led around by Trisha, the bunny was more than happy to act as a tour guide to the young fox. Occasionally Trisha would stop mid-step and turn around suddenly, wrapping her arms around the surprised fox as she gushed about how happy she was to have him there.

After a few more train rides, climbing adventures, and a generous amount of hugs from the excited bunny it was time for everyone to meet up back at the main section of the park for some food.

Lunch was a pleasant affair. Once back in the main part of the park the gang headed towards a small lake that was surrounded by large trees that were shading the many benches and picnic tables. Peggy had taken the time to set up a bright teal tablecloth with balloons tied to the bench.

"Oh Peggy this looks wonderful," Vivienne complimented as they approached and admired the setup.

"Thanks, Viv," Peggy said as she finished setting out some sandwiches and snacks. "Pressed Beetle sandwiches ok for you and Nick? I called Jean and she gave me the recipe."

"That is so very sweet of you Peg," Vivienne said in surprise as she noticed the sandwiches made just for Nick and her sitting on their own plates, she was rather humbled that Peggy had taken the time to prepare some food just for the predators. She and Nick had been prepared for just a simple vegetarian meal since the hosts were all bunnies but to see the kindness from the Rose family made Vivienne's heart swell.

The gang settled in for lunch. Nick and Trisha sitting next to one another, the bunny braving a bite of Nick's sandwich at one point which made her gag and quickly search for a napkin. Nick roaring with laughter at his friend before receiving a series of playful slaps on the arm from the brown bunny who still looked like she may be sick.

Peggy, Vivienne, and Grandma Rose all gossiped at the other end of the table while Dave kept the boys in line.

"They still send us the occasional box of vegetables from their farm too," Peggy said as she took a sip from a soda can. "They are very kind mammals that's for sure."

The current topic was one that Vivienne had wanted to discuss in a little more detail with Peggy. Wanting to know more about a certain bunny that made her tod act suddenly silent and goofy whenever she was mentioned.

"So Judy is older than Sarah correct?" Vivienne asked as she munched on some chips.

"Yes, Judy is older. Just a little younger than Nick" Peggy smirked in a mischievous manner, "She is also the one that is quite taken with your tod."

"Was I that obvious?"

"I mean at least you didn't have a banner," Grandma Rose teased which caused all three ladies to share a laugh.

"Oh sweet!" Gabe said from beside the table as he looked inside one of the picnic baskets.

"Hey you little nosey troublemaker," Peggy said as she got up and hurried over and grabbed her son by the waist and hefted him away from the picnic basket.

"What's up?" Dave asked as he looked over at his wife who had an annoyed look on her face.

"Mom brought cake!" Gabe shouted excitedly.

"Hush!" Peggy said but it was too late as she looked over at Trisha who suddenly stood up, her ears erect.

"No!" Trisha groaned as she looked up at the sky then slowly back to her mom. "Why not cupcakes?!"

"Because we can't do the tradition on cupcakes," Dave said simply.

"Tradition?" Nick asked as he looked up at the bunny standing on the bench seat next to him.

"Moooooom," Trisha said as she closed her eyes before looking at her mother. Though she sounded slightly annoyed her lips couldn't help but curl in a smile.

"What's the tradition?" Vivienne asked as she leaned close to Grandma Rose who giggled.

"Oh just wait and see."

"Should we do cake then presents? That way a certain someone doesn't decide to run off before we can enjoy the tradition?" Peggy suggested to Dave, giving him a wink.

"I think…" Dave said calmly as he slowly got up. "That we…." He continued as he took a few slow steps around the table.

Trisha looked over at her father, her eyes going wide as she realized what he was up to. The bunny tried to jump off the table and escape but her father was too quick and managed to scoop the squirming doe up and hold her around the waist.

"Ok got her," Dave said with a laugh as he sat down next to Nick, holding Trisha down on his lap.

"Alright everyone time for the birthday song," Peggy explained as she set Gabe down and retrieved two cakes from the picnic basket.

Nick and his mother exchanged confused looks, Nick shrugging before looking back at Trisha who looked rather grumpy all of the sudden.

"Oh come on now my little blueberry," Dave said as he gave his daughter a squeeze, "You don't complain when it's your brother's birthday and they have to do the tradition."

"That's different," Trisha grumbled as she tried to squirm free.

"How?"

"Because it's funny when it's not me," Trisha said simply before letting out a laugh as her father gave her side a playful rub, tickling the small doe.

Peggy set a square cake at one end of the table. The white and blue frosting looking rather appetizing. She then set a circular one in front of Trisha. Nick grinned at the image on the cake. Peggy had drawn a train with frosting. A big smile on the front of the engine as it had "Happy Birthday Trisha" written in the smoke coming from its stack.

"The cakes look great Peggy," Vivienne said as she eyed the food.

"Sure does Aunty Peggy," Nick joined in.

"Well thanks you two," Peggy said as she retrieved a camera and took a picture before smiling at her husband.

"Ok, ready everyone?" The older buck asked before taking a breath.

As one the group began to sing happy birthday to the young doe whose mood changed to one of bashfulness, a nervous smile on her lips.

" _Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Trisha,"_ Trisha looked over at Nick whose emerald eyes were bright with happiness while a curious look crossed the fox's face, the tod still wondering why Trisha wasn't excited to be having cake.

" _Happy Birthday to you!"_

Once the song was finished Trisha took a deep breath before closing her eyes and suddenly Nick realized why Trisha had been hesitant to see the cake.

Dave reached behind Trisha's head and brushed her ears so they wouldn't get in the way. He then pressed his daughters face right into the cake as her brother's and grandmother cheered and laughed.

It was only for a second but that was plenty of time for Trisha's face to be covered in frosting.

Vivienne had to put her paws to her mouth as she stifled a laugh as Nick let loose and burst out laughing.

Trisha smacked her lips and slowly opened her eyes, frosting dripping from her fur as she remained sitting in her father's lap.

Dave then looked down at Nick, "Now Nick I want to apologize for this and hope you have no hard feelings."

Nick tilted his head in confusion before Dave suddenly raised his paws up. It took Nick a second to realize what all this meant and then it hit him.

Trisha was free….

"Laugh at me will ya?!" Trisha shouted and she leapt off her father's lap and dived right for Nick who tried in vain to scurry away but felt Trisha grab him around the neck and suddenly rub her face against Nick's cheek.

"Ah, Trisha!" Nick shouted with laughter.

"Revenge is sweet!" Trisha laughed.

"Oh goodness, Sorry Vivienne," Peggy began as she turned to look at the vixen but was pleased when she saw Nick's mother laughing so hard tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Get him, Trisha!" Vivienne cheered as the doe continued to rub frosting on Nick's fur. "I think I found a new tradition for your next birthday, Nick."

The tod tensed up as he looked at his mother who nodded evilly.

"Ha! Next time it's gonna be your turn, Wilde!" Trisha said as she stood up triumphantly.

"I like having Nick here," Trisha's brother Brandon began.

"Yeah, looks like he got all the frosting this time," Jeff pointed out.

Trisha's ears went up and she slowly turned to her siblings.

"I'm the young one and even I know that was stupid to say," Gabe groaned as he started to get up out of his seat.

Trisha jumped up on the table and to everyone's surprise, she smashed her head back into her own cake once more. She looked up from the cake, her face freshly covered in more frosting and cake bits, an evil grin on her face as she suddenly leaped at her brothers.

After Trisha felt she had gotten enough cake on her siblings and Nick it was time to open presents. She had gotten some action figures from her brothers and a new blue hoodie from her parents.

"What's wrong with my other hoodie?" Trisha asked as she put the new one on, her ears poking out before her head managed to find its way through.

"Sweetie it's got so many holes in it," Peggy explained.

"You say holes I say authentic battle damage," Trisha said as she wiggled her tail but beamed at her parents none the less, appreciating the gift.

"She loves baggy clothing for some reason," Grandma Rose explained to Vivienne, "Only problem is she is so adventurous that she tears them up pretty quick."

"Oh Gosh Nick is the same way with some of his shirts, can't keep them clean at all," Vivienne chuckled.

"Next one is from Nick and his mother," Peggy explained as she looked at the tag.

Vivienne suddenly became somewhat nervous about what they had gotten Trisha. She had wanted to try and get the young doe something nice or maybe a kind of toy. Money, however, was tight but Nick saved the day when he came up with a present idea.

Trisha tore the wrapping paper open and her paw froze as she put her paw against a small wooden case with her initials engraved on its smoothed surface. She tilted her head slightly as she studied the object.

"Open it up," Nick said excitedly.

Trisha smirked as she looked over at Nick and then back at the case which she slowly opened.

Inside was an old fashion ink pen made just for the bunny. Along with some envelopes, paper, and a stick of wax.

"It's an old fashion writing kit," Nick explained as Trisha slowly grasped the pen and lifted it up.

Vivienne prepared for some kind of halfhearted thanks but the way Trisha looked at the pen before a broad smile appeared told the vixen the doe actually enjoyed the present.

"Oh my gosh! This feels so smooth!" Trisha exclaimed as she twirled the pen around.

"It's an old ink pen so you can refill it," Nick explained as he scooted closer and showed the bunny the replacement ink jar.

"What's with the wax?"

"That's for sealing letters," Vivienne explained.

Grandma Rose let out a pleased sigh, "Oh I remember when mammals used to seal letters with wax. It was so formal. They just don't teach that skill anymore."

"Grandma, can you show me how?" Trisha ask excitedly as she began to wiggle in place.

"Of course dear, you can write a nice thank you letter to the Wildes here and I will show you how to seal it."

"I'm gonna have to write more formal like," Trisha mumbled as she rummaged in the case, noticing that there was something else inside. The doe produced a small green book and opened it up. Inside the pages were filled with odd symbols and translations.

"It's a codebook. I have a book too so we can-"

Trisha nearly leapt out of her seat as she grabbed Nick by the collar, her eyes going wide.

"NICK! WE CAN WRITE IN CODE!" The doe was so excited she nearly tackled Nick to the ground when she hugged him. "The Pumpkin Queen can now give secret orders to her minions!"

Trisha set the case down on the table and hurried over to Vivienne who was happily surprised when she received a thank you hug followed by a cheek nuzzle.

"Thank you so much Aunty V!" The doe cooed.

"Of course Trisha," Vivienne said happily as she hugged the small bunny. "Happy birthday."

-A few days later-

"Trisha!" Peggy shouted from the kitchen, "You have some mail!"

The telltale scurrying from down the hall signaled the bundle of energy as she made her rapid approach to the kitchen.

Trisha hopped up onto the table and sat down, crossing her legs as she began to look at the pile of mail she had received. Several of them were from her pen pals from around the world. Most of them wishing her a happy birthday. The occasional gift here and there.

"Anything go- How is there a tear in your hoodie already?!" Peggy shouted as she turned to see her daughter wearing the new hoodie she had just gotten, a small tear on one of the shoulders showed some brown fur from underneath.

"Authentic battle damage," Trisha mumbled as she flipped through the postcards.

"Well, maybe all that birthday money you got from your grandmother could go to buying supplies for me to fix your battle armor."

"Pumpkin Queens don't pay for repairs, they simply raid neighboring villages for supplies."

Her mother rolled her eyes as she came over to inspect the hoodie more closely, "I swear Trisha..."

"Swearing is bad mom," Trisha giggled before getting a flick on one of her ears. "Ouch! Ok Sorry, I'll be more careful next- Something from Bunny Burrow? Judy and Sarah sent me something!"

While the topic of Trisha and how she took care of her clothing was not over Peggy was interested to see what Trisha had gotten from their friends in Bunny Burrow.

The large envelope had a series of carrots paw drawn in crayon all over. Trisha looked at the envelope and giggled, careful not to tear it too much when she opened it because she fully intended to keep the envelope and put it on her corkboard.

Trisha reached a paw into the envelope and produced a postcard with the image of a Ferris wheel and rollercoaster on one side. Flipping the card over the bunny read the message from her friends. Much to her surprise, the writing was in a more graceful paw than Judy or Sarah could produce, it was then she realized the card was from Bonnie.

 _Dear Trisha,_

 _We all wanted to wish you a very Happy Birthday. The girls have talked non-stop about their wonderful time at the spring camp and now all their siblings wish to meet the Pumpkin Queen. You are truly a wonderful young bunny and I am so happy that you are part of my girl's lives. Hope to see you soon._

 _Love,_

 _Bonnie, Stu, Judy, Sarah, and the rest of the Hopps clan._

Trisha wiggled in her sport as she read the postcard over once more before reaching into the large envelope and finding what appeared to be a book waiting for her. When she produced the book her eyes widened in surprise at what was in her paws.

"The adventures of the Pumpkin Queen?!" Trisha read aloud as she looked at the paw drawn cover. The words were bold and colored an array of different colors by crayon.

A crudely drawn version of Trisha in her pumpkin outfit was on the front of the book, striking a heroic pose. At the bottom of the page were several more words in bright green.

 _Written by Judy Hopps._

 _Drawn by Sarah Hopps._

The sisters from Bunny Burrow had taken the time to create a large comic book based off of Trisha. The bunny said speechless at first as she looked at the cover.

"That is so sweet," Peggy said as she took a moment to look over her daughter's shoulder at the book. After a few moments of silence, Peggy nudged Trisha to make sure she was still aware of her surroundings, "Sweetie?"

"I have my own comic book," Trisha said as she let out a sniffle, her nose wiggling. "It's all I ever wanted!"

"Awww sweetie-"

"That and world domination."

"Oh gosh Trisha," Peggy chuckled as she gave her daughter an ear rub.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Trisha sitting on the couch in the living room munching on some freshly baked cookies her mother had made her. The comic book open before her as she read about the different adventures the Hopps girls had thought up for her. One chapter was how she defeated a large sentient pile of beets.

Another chapter sent the Pumpkin Queen into space where she made friends with the moon princess who looked suspiciously like Sarah. The bunny having put herself into the story. Trisha especially liked how the multi-colored bunny had the power of healing by giving out hugs and kisses.

Trisha spent hours reading the comic book over and over again, a constant grin on her lips.

-A few days later-

Rebecca was enjoying a somewhat slow period in her day. The skunk normally saw a busy schedule in the mornings at the Manta Bay Train station. Many mammals catching early trains to Zootopia or other cities in distant regions. By the time the afternoon rolled around though the mammal behind the ticket counter found herself with plenty of free time. She would occasionally purchase a magazine from the nearby newsstand or maybe gossip with one of the other ticket tellers.

She was fidgeting with her nametag which was stuck to her dark navy blue vest when she heard several small paws approach her counter. She looked up in time to see a familiar young painted dog with bright yellow eyes standing in front of her counter, an open mouth grin on his face.

Next to the smiling canine was a pair of brown bunny ears, both of them had thick black tips on the end. Rebecca noticed Atom's mother was standing nearby, watching the two with a smirk. The female painted dog would visit the train station regularly these days to check in on her pup. Many of the staff would report how Atom had become a bit of a staple at the station. Atom's mother had gotten to know many employees as of late. Especially the females who had a running joke about being one of Atom's many girlfriends.

"Well hello Atom, how is business?" Rebecca asked sweetly, causing the painted pup to wag his tail excitedly.

Everyone at the train station knew Atom by now. Some of the ladies making it a kind of morning ritual to swing by and get a hug from the canine who had recently started giving hugs away for free.

Somewhere on the other side of the counter, someone cleared their throat. The painted dog looked down and then grinned.

Rebecca watched as the canine reached down and scooped up a small brown bunny, lifting her up so her head was level with the counter. A pair of bright blue eyes met Rebecca's purple ones and she gave the doe a sweet smile.

"Well good afternoon sweetie, what can we do for you today?"

"Do you still all sell those annual train passes?" The bunny asked excitedly.

"Why yes we do," Rebecca began as she tilted her head in curiosity. "They are pretty expensive."

Atom let out a snort which caused Trisha to giggle as the fur on the back of her neck was tickled.

"Do you offer employee discounts?"

Rebecca let out a laugh, "Well I am sure we can arrange something for one of the transit authority's favorite merchants." The skunk gave Atom a sweet smile which made the canine shake with excitement. "I mean only if he throws in a few extra hugs."

"Oh I am sure he won't mind," Trisha chuckled.

"Just so ya know sweetie they are still very expensive."

"I know," Trisha said and without hesitation set a series of bills on the counter. "It was my birthday recently, managed to save up."

"Oh wow," Rebecca said in surprise as she helped straighten some of the bills. "You and Atom planning on some adventures?"

"They aren't for me ma'am," Trisha said with a smug smirk. "But we do plan on having a lot of adventures with our friends soon."

* * *

 **Hey all!**

 **So its been a while.**

 **Sorry for the long delay. The real world sure can be hectic. This chapter was suppose to come out in June and look where we are. :P**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this fun birthday chapter. Now that the gang have train passes I can't wait for more adventures soon!**

 **Till next time.**

 **Cya in Manta Bay!**

 **-Blue**


	7. The Painted Princess

-The Painted Princess-

"Oh gosh….Trisha why can't you just be normal," Peggy groaned as she put a paw to her head and chuckled.

"Oh I think it's kinda cute," Came a friendly voice next to the embarrassed doe. "I mean she is obviously enjoying the harvest.

Peggy looked over at Mr. Hopps who gave her a weak smile.

"You did say she really liked pumpkins after all," Bonnie joined in as she stood next to Peggy, placing a friendly paw on her friend's shoulder.

The three older rabbits continued to watch from the Hopp's front porch across a large open field currently filled with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

At the very edge of the field was a series of hay bales that had been stacked up in the shape of a pyramid. Standing on top of the said pyramid was a brown bunny in her staple blue hoodie and baggy khaki pants.

Trisha was laughing like some kind of mad scientist who had just brought a monster to life. The bunny had her arms in the air and threw her head back as she continued to fill the air with her evil sounding laughter.

"We shall bring all the cities to their knees!" The small doe shouted from atop her pyramid.

"No more late night sci-fi movies," Peggy grumbled which caused Bonnie to snort.

"Oh look! Sarah finally reached the top," Stu pointed out.

The three of them watched as a small multi-colored doe a few inches shorter than Trisha finally made it to the top of the hay structure. She paused for a moment and looked at her friend, then out at the sea of pumpkins, then back to Trisha.

There was a moment or two where it was obvious Sarah was slightly confused but then something even more amusing happened.

Sarah began to mimic Trisha and tossed her head back, laughing in her own way.

"Oh don't you corrupt that sweet Sarah," Peggy shouted, having had enough of her daughter's odd display. She made a move to step off the porch but Bonnie stopped her. Peggy turned to see a wheezing Bonnie, a broad smile on her face.

"Let me get my camera that is just the cutest thing!"

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the pyramid, several small bunnies stared up at the odd sight. Judy was at the base of the structure smiling up at her sister and their odd friend.

"I thought you said this Trisha girl was cool," Came a comment from one of Judy's siblings.

"She seems weird…"

"And she hangs out with Sarah? She knows Sarah is a quad right?"

The last comment stung Judy who felt her ears lower. Even though some of their siblings had begun to accept the multi-colored cutie there were still some holdouts. Judy would occasionally have to defend her little sister from such bigotry.

Before Judy could berate her brother about the last comment a small object flew through the air and smacked him right between the eyes, causing the young buck to fall to the ground.

"What the?!" Someone shouted.

All the bunnies hurried to inspect their sibling, huddling around him and looking down at the dazed doe.

"Is that a pog?" A dark gray doe asked.

"Where did it come from?"

Judy looked up at the laughing duo currently towering over them, she couldn't help but notice the smug smirk on Trisha's lips, a wink to Judy giving it all away.

Trisha and Peggy had been invited by the Hopps family to come and visit the farm for the fall harvest festival. Sadly Peggy had already made plans back in Manta Bay.

After several phone calls though Bonnie had managed to convince Peggy to bring Trisha round to at least see the farm. The older doe having heard about Trisha's fascination with pumpkins.

As it turned out Stu liked to enter the local pumpkin competition and would fill one of their fields with the large orange gourds every year. The kits of the family would be allowed to carve whichever ones weren't to be entered into the competition.

The offer for picking a pumpkin had even been extended to Trisha and Peggy. Stu insisting that since they were company that they would have the first pick. After they had picked out the best pumpkin to take back to Manta Bay they would actually be taking Sarah and Judy with them for the weekend.

Halloween happened to fall on a Sunday this year but through a series of fortunate events, it was going to be a teacher workday on the following Monday which meant it would be a 3 day weekend. It was a young kit's dream come true.

No school, late night trick or treating, how could it get any better?

"Alright hurry up ya goof and pick out a pumpkin!" Peggy shouted from the porch.

"Remember kits, Trisha gets first pick."

That is how it could get better. For Trisha at least.

Trisha grabbed Sarah by the paw and began to hop down the different levels of the hay pyramid. Both does giggling with excitement.

Judy scurried over and skipped alongside her sister and Trisha. Sarah reaching out and grabbing her older sisters paw.

"Thank you again for all this," Peggy said as she watched the three does hurry off into the field, scurrying around pumpkins while occasionally stopping to inspect one.

"You are taking the girls for the weekend, it is us who owe you a thank you," Bonnie explained as she took a seat on a chair on the porch, nodding to the one next to her.

Peggy joined her friend and stretched out her legs, making herself comfortable, "To be honest I love having the girls around. Normally Trisha and I are outnumbered so having more girls in the house is nice. Plus Judy and Sarah are so well behaved."

"Even if they are building giant pillow forts?" Stu asked with a chuckle.

Peggy laughed and nodded, "I'm guessing they told you about that."

"Sarah bragged about it to her siblings for a week straight," Bonnie commented. "It was nice to see them including her, some of the older ones are still learning."

"About her fur?" Peggy began.

"Yes," Bonnie said with a sad sigh.

"And how beautiful it is?" Peggy finished which earned a smile from Sarah's parents. "I hope one day everyone realizes how lucky they are to have met that little one of yours. I swear she has to be the most adorable kit I have ever met."

"Next to Trisha?" Stu asked kindly.

Peggy let out a snort, "Adorable? Oh yeah, that's my little troublemaker."

The tone in which Peggy said the last few words made Bonnie smirk.

"We found one!" Came a shout out in the middle of the field.

The three adults looked out and saw Judy and Trisha standing next to a large pumpkin, Sarah was sitting right on top, waving at the adults.

"I'll go help them bring it in," Stu said as he strolled out towards the field.

"Oh gosh that is a big one," Bonnie muttered as she looked at the gourd the girls had chosen. "Are you going to be able to carry it dear?"

"We are actually being picked up at the station by Peach, think she has to pick up Atom at the station so she offered to give us a ride back home, I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping me."

"Peach?" Bonnie asked as she tilted her head, she then remembered painted dogs and how some would occasionally have a silly name.

"Atom's mother, she is a scientist at the local college, really sweet, super smart too. Trisha keeps pestering her about bringing pumpkins to life."

Bonnie simply smiled and looked out at the field as Stu finally reached the girls. The buck put his paws on his hips and praised the girls on picking out one of the best pumpkins. Sarah had apparently found it first and received an ear rub from her father, the small doe closing her eyes and purring at her father's touch.

"So once you are all picked up what is the plan?" Bonnie asked as she looked back at Peggy.

"Well I'm sure Trisha is going to want to get that pumpkin carved right away, then it is going to be lots of junk food and late night horror movies, Judy and Trisha were talking about getting matching tattoos so I may take them out for that," It was at this point Bonnie realized where Trisha got some of her mischievous behavior. "Sarah might want to get her ears pierced too, what do you think? 10 on each side?"

Bonnie swatted at Peggy's arm as the two shared a laugh.

"Seriously though, once the pumpkin carving is done I think the gang wants to get together. Then tomorrow is the big trick or treat event," Peggy had a rather smug grin on her face as she looked off at the girls, "A certain someone from Zootopia will be visiting as well."

"Oh well now," Bonnie said as her ears went up and she looked out across the field. Her eyes falling on Judy who was smiling up at her father as the buck hefted the large pumpkin in his arms. "I can't wait to hear about that."

The rest of the day was a bit of a busy blur. Stu dropped the girls off at the BunnyBurrow train station while Bonnie stayed behind at the family farm to tend to the other Hopp's children.

Stu wrapped his girls up in a hug and reminded them to behave themselves while staying at the Rose's home. He then gave Peggy a friendly hug which she returned while thanking him for the pumpkin.

When it was Trisha's time for a goodbye the small doe surprised Stu by leaping up and wrapping her arms and legs around the buck who let out a surprised laugh.

"Thank you so much for the pumpkin, Uncle Stu!" The bunny exclaimed as she nuzzled into Stu's cheek.

"Of course darling," The buck said as he patted Trisha on the head.

The girls arrived at Manta Bay where an excited pair of painted dogs were waiting to greet them. Atom could barely contain himself as he began to wiggle in place, his tail swishing back and forth rapidly. His mother didn't even attempt to stop Atom as he darted forward towards his friends. Judy and Sarah were scooped up in a warm hug as the painted pup buried his muzzle in between the bunnies heads. Both Judy and Sarah giggled with joy at the tickling sensation as they wrapped their arms around Atom.

Not to be left out Trisha leaped up and hugged Atom from behind. The painted dog covered in small bunnies who all giggled as he let out the occasional excited snort.

Atom's mother, Peach, greeted the girls with a friendly hug and even a quick ear rub for Trisha who leaned against the larger mammals leg.

"Thanks again for picking us up Peach," Peggy began before giving her friend a nervous smile, "Would you mind helping with something?"

The painted female was more than happy to help carry the pumpkin. While large by bunny standards it wasn't exactly too much of a task for Peach to carry.

"So any ideas on how you are going to carve this?" The painted dog asked as she looked down at the girls who trotted alongside.

"I vote old school jack o lantern style," Trisha said as she raised her paw.

"Or maybe a spooky face!" Sarah suggested.

Atom hopped in front of the group who all stood still and watched as he made a series of paw signals. As one the bunnies all turned to look at Peach who rolled her eyes, "Not everything has to be about ice cream sweetie."

Atom actually looked rather offended by the last comment and stared at his mother as if she had just said a bad word.

After being dropped off at the Rose residence the girls took some time to just rest after their train ride. Trisha's father was there to greet the girls. Apparently, her brothers were all out elsewhere, one of their friends was having a slumber party and the boys would most likely be spending the night elsewhere.

"So for once, the girls outnumber the boys!" Trisha exclaimed excitedly.

"That may be true, but I have back up," Trisha's father exclaimed.

The three younger does all stared at Dave who had one paw behind his back. He then tensed up and held his paw over his head, making his finger curl into a hook-like shape.

"The claw!" Dave bellowed and made an evil laugh.

"AH!" Trisha tried to scamper away but her father was too quickly scooping up the small doe and proceeding to tickle her sides.

Unfortunately for Judy and Sarah, the claw did not discriminate and soon they were running around the living room laughing as Dave chased after them, occasionally getting one of the bunnies and giving them a quick tickle before letting them go so he could find another 'victim'.

When the girls were finally exhausted Dave stood up and brushed his paws together, looking over his shoulder and grinned at his wife.

"And you were worried they would have too much energy," The buck said with a wink.

As the day turned to night the girls all got settled in. The pumpkin carving was rather interesting. Trisha especially had fun scooping out all of the pumpkin's innards. At one point putting a great big glob between her ears and claiming she was some kind of pumpkin monster.

After pumpkin carving, it was time for the girls to call it a night. While Peggy cleaned up in the kitchen the three smaller bunnies hurried to Trisha's room. Unlike last time Sarah and Judy didn't bring any sleeping bags, knowing full well where they would be sleeping while at Trisha's house.

Once they were all cleaned up and in their pajamas, Judy hurried into Trisha's bed and began to curl up under the warm sheets. A pair of blue eyes staring right at her, however, told her she wouldn't be getting any sleep anytime soon.

"Soooooo?" Trisha began as she sat cross-legged in front of Judy who tried to squirm away.

"So nothing," Judy blushed as she tried to turn over and stare at the wall.

Judy felt some pressure on her side and realized Trisha was climbing over her. The brown bunny managing to wiggle in between the wall and Judy, her bright blue eyes looking back at Judy.

"You can avoid the subject all you want in your postcards," Trisha pointed out with a playful smirk. "But now you have no place to run."

"No place to run," Sarah echoed as she nuzzled up behind her sister.

"Why are you so interested in….him?" Judy asked, her ears starting to warm with a light blush.

"I'm not," Trisha said with a smile, causing Judy to let out a sigh of relief, "I am interested in you AND him."

Judy looked away for a moment before glancing back at Trisha, "You aren't going to drop this are you?"

"I think I have sent you like 15 postcards all asking the same question, you think I am going to drop this now."

"Why is it so important?"

"It just is."

"Just is," Sarah cooed.

"Sarah, do you even know what we are talking about?" Judy asked as she tilted her head and looked back at her younger sister.

"Yes."

"What then?"

"You and Nick sitting in a tree," Sarah began which caused Judy's eyes to go wide in horror.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G" Trisha joined in.

"Hate you both," Judy grumbled as she tried to pull the covers over her head.

Sadly for Judy though she was outnumbered. While Sarah had never really pestered Judy about Nick, Trisha had been trying to get information nonstop about the two. Now that they were at Trisha's home she had a feeling the brown bunny would most likely recruit Sarah in her information gathering campaign.

"We have talked," Judy finally relented. Keeping her voice in a low whisper as if Nick was right outside the room.

"Talked how?"

"Postcards…"

"And one time on the phone," Sarah added which earned her a quick flick of the ear. "Ow!"

"The phone?" Trisha asked with a smug grin.

"It was only for a little bit," Judy lied.

"Was more like 30 minutes, she got in trouble for that one," Sarah pointed out.

"Sarah, hush," Judy tried to be mad at her little sister but how could she? In the end, she wanted to tell Trisha but she felt her normal courage faltering when it came to a certain fox.

The girls spent most of the night gossiping underneath the covers. Trisha trying to get more information about Nick and Judy. On one occasion Judy managed to turn the tables when she mentioned libraries and Delta.

Trisha, however, ignored the comment and continued her interrogation.

They fell asleep still chatting about a certain someone, which led to a certain bunny dreaming about a certain fox as she curled up under the sheets.

Halloween finally came!

The girls spent most of the day watching spooky Halloween cartoons and enjoying various Halloween themed goodies Peggy had prepared.

Jell-o with candy eyeballs in the center, cupcakes with spiders, cookies with chocolate kisses that made them look like witches hats.

"Alright girls," Peggy said as another cartoon came to an end. "Time to get into your costumes, then it's off to Emily's home."

Judy's ears went up at the mention of Nick's cousin, "Emily's home?"

"Yeah! They are throwing a Halloween party, we are invited but we get to go trick or treating too," Trisha exclaimed as she stood up and helped Sarah up, wrapping her arms around the smaller doe and squeezing, causing Sarah to squeal excitedly.

"Oh cool…umm…will.." Judy tried to find the right words but didn't want to give anything away.

She wanted to see if Nick would be there. While the two had been chatting more via postcard and the occasional phone call neither of them had brought up the next time they would see one another. As if the question would give something away.

"Delta be there? Yes, he said Atom and him have amazing costumes this year," Trisha exclaimed.

"Oh cool!" Judy said with a smile, a slight disappointment in her voice.

 _He is probably back in Zootopia…_

The girls each got dressed in their costumes separately. When they were finally dressed they performed a kind of quick fashion show for Peggy and Dave who had dressed up like a pair old-fashioned gangsters. Dave wearing a pin strip suit while Peggy was in a similar outfit except for a skirt instead of slacks.

Trisha was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. A jack-o-lantern smile painted on the front while green fabric was sewn into the cuffs, ankles, and collar. A matching green hat sat on her head with holes for her ears. Apparently, her costume from last year had been eaten by moths. Trisha claiming it was obviously open attack from the moth kingdom and would never be forgiven. The bunny and her mother, however, managed to make a new costume which Trisha thoroughly enjoyed, saying how she could stuff candy into her suit and make herself look like a pumpkin.

Judy as always was dressed as a member of the ZPD. The bunny had made a few additions to her costume. Adding a duty belt she had found at a pawnshop along with a vest which she had to cut to make it her size.

"Uh oh Mugsy," Peggy began with an odd accent, "It's the fuzz!"

Dave held up his paws in the air, "I will gladly tell you where my wife hid all the loot in exchange for freedom officer."

"You snitch," Peggy snorted as she gave her husband a playful slap on the air.

Judy had a pair of plastic paw cuffs which she twirled and eyed the two older bunnies dressed as criminals.

Sarah came scurrying out next, her outfit causing Peggy to let out a squeak of excitement. The multi-colored bunny had dressed up as a fairy princess this year. Her light blue dress puffed out around her. A silver tiara sat around her ears.

"Oh my gosh, Sarah! That is adorable," Peggy squealed as she hurried over and helped adjust some of the outfit for the small bunny. "Finally a cute costume."

"Hey, my pumpkin costume is cute!" Trisha shouted from the kitchen.

"A princess, finally a girly costume, every year its pumpkins or zombies or some kind of monster," Peggy gushed. Apparently, the doe had always wanted to see a bunny in a princess outfit. Having a tombun like Trisha though meant the chances of seeing such a costume was slim. "You look beautiful."

Sarah blushed and waved her wand about, "Thanks, Aunt Peggy."

"Alright let's get some pictures and then it's off to cause some trouble at Jean's," Dave said as he grabbed a camera from the kitchen table.

When they had finally gotten enough pictures the gang loaded up into the family van and headed out towards Emily and Jean's home.

The girls all sat in the back, Trisha petting Sarah and saying how she could be a pumpkin princess in her kingdom. Sarah giggled and nuzzled into Trisha, saying how she would like that. Judy watched the pair and smirked, glad that Sarah was having a nice time.

A constant nagging feeling was at the back of the young bunny's mind, however. As she watched the way Trisha gently stroked Sarah's ears she began to think of Nick. How they had fallen asleep together at the Manta Bay Aquarium the last time they met. How she woke up to the young tod stroking her ears. How wonderful it all felt. How they had simply sat there curled up with one another for hours.

"Looks like the party is in full swing," Dave commented which brought Judy back to reality.

Several cars were parked up and down the street in front of Emily's house. Fortunately, a spot became available right up front and Dave managed to snag it. The girls all piled out of the car and took a moment to look at the house before them.

Cobwebs covered the roof, tombstones in the front, and music playing from the inside as a series of strobes flashed told everyone that the foxes living inside were really into the Halloween spirit.

Peggy led the girls up to the front door and rang the doorbell. It took a minute before the door finally opened. Jean was dressed as a flapper girl, her dress covered in a series of tassels that swayed when she walked.

"Oh my gosh look at you lot," Jean gushed as she greeted them all.

Trisha gave the vixen a hug and showed off her modified pumpkin queen outfit.

Jean loved Judy's ZPD uniform, saying how official it looked.

"And you little miss princess, look at how beautiful you are," Jean exclaimed which caused Sarah to blush and look at the floor.

"Thank you, Auntie Jean," Sarah said in a bashful manner.

"Please come in! The gang is out back enjoying some snacks," Jean stepped to the side and let everyone clamber in. She gave Peggy a kiss on the cheek and Dave a friendly hug, whispering something into the buck's ear which caused him the laugh.

Inside the house, several adults milled about in various outfits. Judy noticed Delta's father Larry dressed as a mummy. The painted dog saw the new arrivals and waved, giving Judy a salute which the bunny happily returned.

A few other adults were dancing in the living room to Halloween songs. The mood was lively and playful, several of the mammals carrying around red cups that smelled of various spirits.

Once in the backyard, the bunnies were greeted by Delta, Atom, and Emily who were all in their costumes.

Emily was dressed as a firefighter this year. The fox hurrying over to Judy and complimenting the bunny on her ZPD uniform.

"Are you ZFD?" Judy asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah!" Emily said as she turned around to show the ZFD which had been drawn on the back of her firefighter jacket.

"That's so cool!"

"Robots!" Sarah exclaimed as Atom and Delta waddled over.

The pair of painted dogs had taken a series of boxes, pants, and other metallic objects and made a pair of piecemeal robot costumes which they had spray painted silver.

Their costumes made odd clanging noises as they hurried over.

"We would give you a hug but these costumes aren't really good at hugs," Delta exclaimed.

That didn't really stop Atom from trying though as he did his best to put his arms around Sarah. In the end, it looked awkward thanks to the boxes currently around the painted pups arms. Sarah giggled and leaned against Atom none the less.

"And who do the robots declare allegiance to?" Trisha asked with a chuckle as she skipped over to Delta.

"Mars!"

Trisha scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Wrong answer…"

She then did something that made Judy's jaw fall open. The brown bunny wiggled a paw towards Delta, causing the robot to lean down. The bunny then stood up on her tippy paws and pressed her lips to Delta's cheek, planting a gentle kiss to his fur.

"Yeah they started doing that lately," Emily whispered with a giggle. "Ever since their parents said they weren't in trouble for the library thing they have gotten super gross."

"Have they kissed for real yet?" Judy whispered excitedly.

"No idea," Emily grunted, "So far its just hugs, paw holding, and the occasional kiss on the cheek."

Judy wanted to ask more but was interrupted by the sound of the sliding glass door to the house opening and closing quickly.

She turned expecting to see one of the adults from the party but froze.

"Well hello, there officer Wilde, about time you joined us," Emily teased.

Nick took a few steps forward and rubbed the back of his neck with a paw, "Sorry, had to adjust some of my costume."

Judy took a slight step forward and stared at Nick. This year the tod had gone with a different costume. He was no longer a scout. This year he was a police officer. Not just any officer though. The words ZPD had been patched onto the front of his vest. The young fox wore all black and blue, a pair of police aviators sat on his head.

"Officer Hopps," Nick said with a salute.

Judy was stunned as she tilted her head, a goofy smile on her lips as her ears warmed.

"I um…wanted to surprise you," Nick began, growing somewhat bashful.

There was movement behind Judy but the bunny didn't turn to look. Had she taken a moment she would have seen Trisha and Emily whispering behind her. Delta and Atom distracted Sarah by doing a little robot dance which caused the doe to giggle.

"Nick you look so awesome," Trisha whispered behind Judy, causing the gray bunny to snap out of her dreamlike state.

"Nick you look so awesome, "Judy repeated as she blushed.

"I want to hold your paw and give you a smooch," Trisha whispered into Judy's ears.

"I want to ho-" Judy stopped and turned to look at Trisha who was grinning mischievously.

"Trisha!"

"What?!"

The group shared a laugh at Judy's expense, the bunny joining in not long after.

The two ZPD dressed mammals spent some time looking over one another's costumes. Nick really liking the new vest and belt Judy had added. The bunny turned to show Nick the back of her vest then had a bit of a mischievous thought. She glanced over at Trisha who was laughing with Emily. She then decided to pull a page from Trisha's book. She gave Nick a playful tail flick. When she glanced over at Nick the tod was looking at the sky, an embarrassed smile on his lips. Judy blushed, she couldn't believe she actually tried that.

Watching Nick's reaction though and how his tail swished back and forth made the doe grin.

Meanwhile, Delta and Atom were talking with Sarah about her costume.

"Princess?"

"Fairy princess," Sarah corrected playfully.

Atom made a series of paw signs which made Delta smirk, "Do you grant wishes?"

Sarah sighed as she waved her wand over her head, "I try but they never work."

"Which one did you try?"

"My own wish…"

"Which is?"

"I want my fur to be different," Sarah said with a sad sigh. "So I could play with everyone and not be picked on."

Trisha overheard Sarah's comment and felt like her heart was breaking. Before the bunny could intervene however Delta took a knee in front of the bunny.

"But we like your fur," He said as he extended a robot paw and placed it gently on Sarah's shoulder.

"But I am a quad…." Sarah said sadly as she looked at the ground.

"No your not," Delta said firmly. "You are painted."

Sarah glanced up and gave Delta a confused look, "Painted?"

"Yeah, I mean you have all the same colors as Atom and me and no one calls us quad dogs."

Sarah thought about it for a moment and blinked several times at Delta.

Atom suddenly jumped up into the air and made a series of paw signs to Delta.

"What? But we worked so hard on them," Delta said as he stared at his mute friend.

Atom patted his costume then made more paw signs. Delta looked down at his own costume then at Sarah.

Atom's tail swished back and forth as he looked at Delta and then to Sarah.

Delta let out a sigh and stood up, turning to Emily.

"Emily, we need to borrow some stuff," The painted dog said firmly.

"Uhhh…ok?" Emily said as she looked over at the robot.

With that Delta and Atom led Emily away back into the house, the young vixen looking somewhat confused as Delta whispered into her ears.

It was at this point Trisha hurried over to Sarah, "How about we have some snacks and then go trick or treating?"

"I guess," Sarah mumbled, obviously still a little hurt her wish didn't come true.

Sarah had been dealing with her fur's unique pattern for so long and now it seemed she was fed up with it. The normally bouncy Sarah was now being replaced by a somewhat depressed bunny and it was tearing at everyone's hearts.

"How has she been?" Nick asked nervously.

"Some good days," Judy began. "But mostly bad….I mean her littermates have accepted her finally but we have so many siblings and most are still not very nice to her."

"But she is Sarah…she is so sweet."

After a few minutes of milling about the group looked over at the sliding glass door where an excited looking Emily hurried from. The vixen aimed right for Sarah, standing behind Sarah and moving her into the center of the yard. She put her paws on Sarah's face, covering the doe's bright pink eyes.

"Hey! Emily!" Sarah said with a laugh.

"Shush and wait," Emily instructed.

Sarah giggled and waited patiently, her ears raising as she heard pawsteps in front of her.

"Ok Sarah," Emily said as she leaned down so her head was next to Sarah's.

"You ready?"

"For what?"

"Every princess needs," Emily began as she moved her paws away from Sarah's face and revealed the surprise. "Knights!"

Standing before Sarah was Atom and Delta who were no longer dressed as robots. They had torn apart their costumes and reassembled them into makeshift battle armor. The silver had been a good choice in color as it looked like steel armor once worn by knights in olden times. The pair of painted dogs stood at attention and raised two silver staffs that looked like broomsticks covered in duct tape.

"All hail Princess Sarah," Delta barked. "The painted princess!"

Trisha hurried over to Sarah and hugged her from the side.

"Knights! Sarah, you have knights! I don't even have knights, that is so cool!"

Judy was crying for her sister, tears of joy rolled down her cheeks as she watched the scene play out.

"Wow," Nick said with a chuckle. "Now that is cool."

"Yeah…those two really love Sarah," Judy said with a sniffle.

"We all do," Nick added.

Sarah burst into tears of joy and ran over to her painted knights. She didn't even hesitate to jump up and wrap her arms around Delta's neck, planting a kiss on the painted dog's snout.

"Oi! That one is spoken for," Trisha barked which caused everyone to laugh.

Atom was next, when he got his kiss on the cheek from the excited Sarah he let out a gag but nuzzled into the doe none the less.

The rest of the night was a blast. The gang was allowed to trick or treat on their own, they were told to return back to Jean's home at 11. 11! To a young kit that was like staying out the whole night.

"Have fun you lot," Peggy said, her words sounding somewhat slurred as she waved at the gang on their way out. The doe then looked back at the party inside, a mischievous smile on her face as she closed the door behind her.

"Your mom already had a lot of punch," Emily pointed out.

"Sounds about right, dad always says she is a real party mammal, where do you think I get it from?" Trisha said proudly.

The group visited house after house. Their bags filling with candy quickly. Occasionally they would stop to swap candy with one another. Or to just chat and play around.

The real highlight of the night, however, was old mammal Johnson's house. The old wolf having set up another graveyard obstacle course in his front yard. His son had dressed up like a mummy this year and would run around, chasing anyone who tried to go for the cauldron filled with big candy.

This year Judy gave the course a go and managed to get to the cauldron, mainly because the mummy tripped over his own costume. The gray bunny stood triumphantly holding a king-sized candy bar over her head as her friends cheered.

Sadly Nick and Trisha couldn't get past the mummy this year. The wolf even remembered Nick and said he had been practicing for the fox's return. He was still rather friendly with Nick as he carried him across the graveyard.

"Oi Dad, it's the ranger scout from last year," The mummy pointed out as he hefted the annoyed young fox under his arm.

"Oh darn, was hoping he would have gotten it for the second year."

When Trisha was caught the mummy held the small bunny over his head the same way Judy had held her candy, "No pumpkin distractions this year!"

Trisha grumbled and squirmed but laughed when the wolf proceeded to carry her upside down to the edge of the front yard.

"The pumpkin queen shall return next time!"

To everyone's surprise, Sarah stepped up to the plate. The doe standing bravely at the edge of the front yard and staring down the mummy who smiled down at her.

"What ya got there princess?" The wolf teased.

"I got knights!" Sarah shouted.

"What?"

Delta and Atom suddenly ran right at the mummy and leaped onto the larger canine.

"What the?! Hey, no fair!"

Old mammal Johnson roared with laughter from the front porch as he watched his son tackled to the ground by the two young painted knights. He laughed even harder as Sarah simply strolled through the graveyard and retrieved her prize.

"Oh, I love it!" The old wolf said as he hurried off the porch. "That earns you a bonus sweetie."

"Don't encourage this behavior dad," The mummy grunted as he tried to stand up, Atom, however, had tied some of the mummy's wraps around his legs, causing him to fall over.

"what is your name princess?" Old mammal Johnson.

"I am Princess Sarah Hopps!" Sarah announced proudly as she took a step closer to the larger predator. "The painted princess."

"Well princess," The wolf said as he bowed his head then smirked at Sarah. "For making this old wolf laugh so hard I think you earned a special prize."

"Really?" Sarah asked excitedly.

"Eyeballs?" The old wolf said as he produced some gummy candy from a small bag. "Or brains?"

"Ewwww! Brains please!"

While everyone was distracted by the hijinks in old mammal johnsons front yard something even more spectacular was happening on the other side of the fence.

"That's the Sarah we know and love," Nick chuckled from behind Judy.

The doe leaned back against the tod and sighed, "Yeah, that's my sister."

She felt her heart skip a beat as she felt a pair of paws wrap around her shoulder. She didn't even flinch though as she rested her paws on Nick's arms.

"I'm really glad you made it back to Manta Bay officer Hopps," Nick whispered.

"Me too Officer Wilde."

"I…..I missed you," Nick managed to get the words out.

"Yeah?" Judy asked as her tail flicked, she turned slightly in Nick's arms so she could look up at the fox.

The way his emerald eyes looked at her caused her to blush.

"Yeah."

"I missed you too Nick," Judy whispered, her heart racing.

They remained silent for a moment or two, smiling at one another.

"Dogpile!" Trisha shouted in the front yard as she and Emily joined in on the craziness. The gang piling on top of the mummy who let out a yelp.

Judy was hoping everyone would be far too busy torturing old mammal johnson's son to notice what was happening by the fence.

She bit her lower lip as she studied Nick for a moment then decided to just go for it.

She hopped up and pressed her lips to Nick's cheek, holding onto him so her fur could linger against his. When she finally clambered down she watched Nick whose eyes went wide.

He seemed frozen at first but then began to sway back and forth till he fell on his back.

"Nick?!"

"Delta did the same thing when I did that!" Trisha shouted.

Judy winced and slowly turned around. To her horror, all eyes were now on her and the unconscious Nick before her.

* * *

 **Happy Halloween!**

 **Also happy 1 year in Manta Bay...kinda.**

 **I mean the first Halloween chapter was written a year ago and since it became part of the Manta Bay story I'm gonna chalk this up to a year-long story.**

 **Special thanks to _Fox in the hen house_ for the continued use of his adorably cute OC Sarah Hopps. Fox and I were talking about costume ideas and omg the one for Sarah and how she would wish for her fur to be different were all his idea and it broke my heart. So naturally, I had my painted dogs save the day!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed another fluff filled chapter!**

 **Till next time.**

 **Cya in Manta Bay.**

 **-Blue**


	8. The Christmas Tree War

-Christmas Tree War-

"Mom I'm home," Nick announced as he closed the front door behind him. The young fox took a moment to unravel the red scarf that had been wrapped around his neck and place it on the coat hanger next to the front door, his jacket was quick to follow. Though it wasn't freezing out Nick had been talked into wearing the outfit by his mother who like all mothers worried about their young one catching some kind of cold.

"Did you have fun?" Nick heard his mother ask from the living room.

"Yeah," Nick answered excitedly.

The past month had been actually a somewhat pleasant one in Zootopia. Nick had managed to make some friends in the city again and had steadily been breaking out of his shell. While still somewhat hesitant the young tod was taking the right steps.

Before Nick could go into detail about his days' adventures he froze and slowly tilted his muzzle upwards. While growing up young foxes would go through changes they had to adapt to. One such change was his sense of smell would occasionally grow stronger, allowing him to pick up new scents. The scent Nick had picked up was familiar and had a sweetness to it. His bright green eyes widened when he recognized it and hurried into the living room where a pleasant sight was waiting for him.

"Aunt Peggy!" The young fox exclaimed as he noticed the light brown doe sitting on the couch near his mother.

"Hello Nick," The doe said as she stood up and opened her arms wide.

Nick scampered over and in his excitement nearly tripped on the carpet. He closed his eyes when he reached Peggy and was wrapped up in a caring hug. Though he was nearly the same size as the small bunny he felt enveloped in her arms as she reached up and gave him a gentle peck on the cheek.

"How have you been sweetie?" Peggy asked as she looked up at Nick whose tail swished back and forth.

"I have been really good," Nick said honestly. "Just got home from my friend Ray's house. How are you? What are you doing in Zootopia?"

Peggy beamed at the fox, her nose wiggling with joy at the sound of the happy fox. Little did Nick know but Peggy and his mother had become close friends and had been keeping in touch since their visit to Train Town. Vivienne couldn't get over how invested the bunny had become with Nick, showing concern when she heard about the rough times he had faced but happiness as well when she heard about the fox's new friends in the city.

"Well we are in town visiting some old friends of mine that needed some help with numbers," Peggy explained as she hopped up back onto the couch and smiled down at the young vulpine.

Nick remembered how Trisha had once mentioned her mother used to be a brilliant accountant but took a step back to raise her kits. She apparently still had a pawful of clients though she looked after in her free time. Well, that wasn't exactly how Trisha described, the doe throwing in a tale about pirates and robots. Nick, however, managed to piece together the truth over time.

"Wait…" Nick said slowly as he tilted his head. "We?"

The fox had been so focused on the sweet bunny on the couch he hadn't been very aware of his surroundings. His ears raised in time to hear something moving in the air just behind him. That was the only warning he had before he felt something small and fluffy collide with his back, a pair of brown paws wrapping around his shoulders as he lost his balance and fell to the floor with a light thud.

"I have played with like all your toys," Trisha cooed into the fox's ear as she nuzzled into the back of his head, laying right on top of Nick's back.

"Oh gosh, Trisha not so rough!" Peggy began to berate her overzealous daughter.

"Nick we need to practice on your awareness if you ever intend to become a ninja master," Vivienne teased her son, the pair having recently been getting into watching cheesy kung fu movies.

"Not fair, the Pumpkin Queen has stealth abilities," Nick chuckled from the floor.

"Awwww, that's right minion and don't you forget it," Trisha giggled as she sat cross-legged on Nick's back with no real intention of moving.

It took some convincing but eventually, they managed to pry Trisha off of Nick when Peggy picked up a cookie from a small plate in front of her and tossed it onto the other side of the room. The small brown bunny scrambling on all fours after the sweet treat.

Trisha came trotting back with the cookie in her mouth, a smug look on her adorable face. The bunny sat down right on the floor next to Nick and began to munch on the cookie, smiling up at the adults who chuckled at her antics.

Peggy and Vivienne spent a few minutes chatting with Nick and Trisha before Vivienne suggested Nick give Trisha a tour of their home.

"Show her all the toys she was already playing with," The vixen teased as she gave the mischievous doe a wink.

Trisha wiggled happily and grabbed Nick by the paw, leading the young tod down the hallway as if she lived in the small apartment herself.

When they arrived at Nick's room the fox was surprised at the lack of destruction. He could tell the doe had wandered into the room at one point. For the most part, though she had probably just been exploring. Her scent lingered in the room and the occasional item was out of place.

Nick showed Trisha around the somewhat cramped room. Showing off some of the trinkets he had collected through the years.

Trisha was ecstatic when she found a pile of postcards on the dresser near Nick's bed.

"You kept them all?" Trisha asked as she scooped up the stack of letters and waddled over to Nick's bed, taking a seat as she flipped through the various cards she had sent him.

"Well you kept all mine," Nick grumbled, sounding somewhat embarrassed.

"Of course I did," Trisha said as she scrunched her nose. When she finished flipping through the postcards she looked up at Nick with a knowing smirk, "Where are the others?"

"Others?"

"From you know who," Trisha said as her lips curled.

Nick's eyes widened and he suddenly had a hard time maintaining eye contact with the bunny sitting on his bed.

"I don't know who you are-"

"Your girlfriend."

Nick felt a warm feeling course through his small frame and he now definitely couldn't look at Trisha.

 _Girlfriend?!_

"Come on Nick," Trisha said as she hopped off of the bed and placed the postcards back where she found them. "I know you two have been writing one another."

"Maybe," Nick grumbled. "How would you know anyway?"

Trisha grinned as she wiggled in place.

"Has….has she said anything?" Nick asked bashfully.

"Maaaaaaybe," Trisha said as she rolled on the balls of her feet.

"What did she say?" Nick asked rather quickly.

"Well-" Trisha began with a rather smug tone before they both heard Vivienne calling them from the living room.

"Trisha, Nick, come on out we have some news," The sweet vixens voice echoed through the apartment.

"Coming," Trisha said eagerly as she gave Nick a wink.

"Oh come on Pumpkin Queen," Nick pleaded.

Trisha however simply skipped out of the room, "You will just have to ask her in a few days."

"Few more days?" Nick asked as he followed the bunny down the hall. "What do you know?"

"Nothing," Trisha said as she turned to give the tod a sweet smile as she held out her paw, grabbing Nick's with her own before giving it a squeeze, "Except for where you are going to be celebrating Christmas."

Before Nick could continue his question Trisha turned, Nick's paw wrapped up in her own and skipped down the hallway. Nick had grown used to the kind of affection to expect from Trisha rather quickly. While foxes were not exactly the most physical creatures when it came to dealing with others, he had grown accustomed to Trisha and her constant insistence to some kind of fur on fur contact,

When the young bunny and fox duo made it into the living room they were met by a pair of smiles from their mothers. Peggy patted the spot on the couch next to her which was enough for Trisha. The doe released Nick's paw and scrambled up onto the couch, having a little trouble due to the height difference. With help from her mother though Trisha managed to get up on the cushion. The small brown bunny crawled so she sat right next to her mother, resting her head against the older bunny and closing her eyes as she nuzzled.

 _They sure do enjoy cuddling….wonder if Judy cuddles too?_

Thoughts of a certain small gray bunny curled up on the couch as she rested her head against Nick invaded the young fox's mind. So much so that he stood in front of the couch with a rather goofy look on his muzzle.

"Has he been doing that a lot lately?" Trisha asked as she opened her eyes and stared at the fox.

"You know what now that I think about it he has," Vivienne mumbled as she stared at her young tod.

"Delta does the same thing sometimes," Trisha giggled. "Boys are weird."

"Especially this one," Vivienne chuckled as she snapped her digits together, bringing Nick back to reality.

"What? Sorry was just….ummm…"

"Anyways," Peggy smirked and gave Nick a wink, saving the fox the need to think of an excuse. "Vivienne and I have been talking."

"Annnd?" Trisha asked excitedly as she looked at her mother.

"About the plans for winter break."

"Annnnd?" Trisha repeated.

Nick's tail flicked as he started to put everything together.

Originally the plan was to spend Christmas in Zootopia. While not a terrible aspect Nick had been a little down knowing he wouldn't see his friends from Manta Bay. Vivienne's sister Jean had told them a week or so ago that they would be spending their holiday break out of Manta Bay with her husband Rob's family.

When Nick had heard the news he felt a little down. With their family in Manta Bay out of town, there wasn't much of a point for them to visit the seaside city.

"Well as you know your Crazy Aunt Jean will be out of town," Vivienne repeated the information they already knew. "So we had originally planned to just stay here in Zootopia."

Nick nodded, trying to be patient.

Trisha, however, did not possess such patience.

"Annnnnd?!" The doe asked as she climbed off her mother and waddled over to Vivienne, crawling up onto the vixen's lap before Peggy could intervene. Trisha crawled right up so her face was inches from the Viv's.

Vivienne closed her muzzle and tried to keep a straight face but everyone could tell this was a losing battle as the occasional snicker would escape her lips.

"Don't make me put on the extra cute," Trisha whispered.

"What's the extra cute?" Vivienne asked with a chuckle.

Trisha's eyes widened and began to water, her lower lip quivering as her ears went right up.

"Oh my gosh that is adorable," Vivienne snorted.

"She tries to use it around bedtime," Peggy grumbled as she glanced at Nick. "So far it hasn't worked on me….my gullible husband though? Not so much."

"Are you all coming to Manta Bay or what?!" Trisha finally lost it, which was good because Nick didn't know how much more anticipation he could take.

"Are we going to Manta Bay for Christmas break?" Vivienne asked as she looked past Trisha who was still in her face and right at her son who stood there with an eager look. "Yes, yes we are."

Plans were made, bags were packed, and Nick was bundled up and shipped off to Manta Bay.

Vivienne would be staying in Zootopia for an extra few days while she finished somethings up at her new job. The vixen had landed a position as a kind of assistant to an owner of a warehouse and shipping business. She had been so grateful for the opportunity for the job that she always did her best to make sure her boss was happy with her work. Which he was, the hyena had given Viv a chance and from the sounds of it had been very pleased with the results. It was rare for a fox to be given such an opportunity in the city.

With the new job, Vivienne had managed to leave her others. No more pulling a double at one job only to get a few hours sleep before it was time to wake up and rush out the door to her next job.

She now had more time to spend with Nick and could afford to buy him the things she felt he deserved.

One of the other perks of the job was the time off during the holidays. Apparently, the hyena was a bit of a family mammal and closed the doors to his business for over a week so his employees could spend time with their loved ones.

From the looks of it, Vivienne would be spending her time off in Manta Bay with her son and friends. While Vivienne stayed back in the city to finish some things up Nick would be spending a night or two at the Rose's home. Trisha was ecstatic and kept listing off things they could do during their sleepover. Once Vivienne arrived in Manta Bay though she would pick up Nick so they could stay at their family's place. Jean and Rob had insisted that if Nick and Vivienne were staying in Manta Bay that they stay at their home and use the car if they needed.

Trisha, however, had suggested that they just build a fort in the living room where Vivienne and Nick could sleep. Which while tempting was kindly turned down. Trisha didn't seem upset though, simply saying more room for her in the fort of pumpkiny doom.

Nick quickly packed his bags, with a little help from Trisha who kept trying to stuff random objects into his backpack and was soon ready and standing at the front door with the others. His train pass gripped in his paws as he stood in front of his mother who fussed over him.

Stay at his cousin Emily's home was one thing. They were family after all. Staying over at Trisha's home was another.

"Now remember you be a good house guest," Vivienne instructed the tod as she took a knee in front of her son and adjusted his scarf.

"Yes mom," Nick said as he rolled his bright green eyes.

"Clean your spot at the table," Vivienne continued. "And don't make a big mess."

"Yeah because that's my job," Trisha giggled before earning a flick of her ear from her mother who was gathering their things.

"We will swing by the supermarket when we get to Manta Bay to pick up some food Nick can enjoy," Peggy said sweetly.

"Oh that would be amazing," Vivienne said as she stood up, "Let me get you some money for that."

"No no no," Peggy insisted.

"Yes yes yes," Vivienne shot back.

As the two adults bickered over paying for groceries Trisha leaned over to Nick.

"You excited?"

"Uh….yeah!" Nick chuckled.

"Good," Trisha grinned. "On an unrelated note, do you have stage fright?"

Nick's ears fell back as he looked down at the doe nervously, "Why?"

"No reason," Trisha said with a mischievous smirk as she watched her mother playfully argue with Vivienne. "No reason at all."

A few days later Nick found himself huddled behind a large red curtain at the Manta Bay's local performing arts theater. A look of utter annoyance on his face as he looked down at his hastily written script, trying his best to memorize his lines.

He glanced up and looked over at Trisha who currently had her head stuck out the other side of the curtain so she could survey the crowds. When the doe finally his behind the curtain once more she looked over at Nick and beamed.

"Looks like a full house," The doe said as her tail flicked excitedly.

"This was your plan all along…" Nick grumbled.

Trisha nodded quickly, her ears flopping slightly.

"That and I like spending Christmas with my favorite fox from the big city," The doe said sweetly.

Nick looked down at his costume which had been modified to fit him, he had a feeling it had originally been his cousin Emily's, her scent had been lingering on it when he got it.

"So because Emily was out of town," Nick began.

"I convinced mom to convince your mom for you two to come and spend time in Manta Bay," Trisha finished the fox's sentence.

"Not going to lie….kinda impressed."

"Your mom is going to love it," Trisha said as she skipped over and helped adjust something on Nick's costume.

"She is here?" Nick asked in surprise.

They had all been in such a hurry to get to the local theater that he didn't know if his mother would make it in time. He didn't really know if he wanted her to see the play but had a feeling if she missed it she would be somewhat upset.

"Yeah she just got into her seat," Trisha said excitedly. "Right behind Judy's row."

Nick's ears shot right up at the last words.

"Judy's row?" Nick asked, his throat suddenly going dry.

Nick had never seen such a smug yet pleased bunny in his whole life. Trisha simply nodded over to the curtain as she skipped away to make sure the other actors were ready.

The young tod watched the bunny scurry off before tiptoeing towards the curtain. He reached out and found the center and ever so gently moved it aside. The young fox moved slowly as not to give himself away against the sea of red fabric. He looked through the small slit in the curtain, his eyes moving quickly.

He saw his mother and his eyes dilated in both shock and embarrassment. The lovely vixen had taken a seat right next to Trisha's mom. The two ladies seemed to be chatting and catching up. Something changed though in their conversation as Vivienne leaned closer to Peggy and began to whisper something. The bunny giggled and nodded quickly before pointing at a small gray bunny sitting directly in front of them…..

 _Judy is here?! And she is sitting directly in front of my mom?!_

There she was. Even at this distance, Nick recognized the adorable bunny who had been scurrying in and out of his dreams. The lovely gray doe and her bright purple eyes were all Nick could think of sometimes.

Judy wasn't alone, however. The whole row had been occupied by her family. Bunnies of various sizes and fur patterns sat in the cushioned seats. Chatting, laughing, or getting berated by their parents to calm down.

Nick recognized Judy's little sister Sarah. The young doe was sharing the seat with Judy, both of them chatting, unaware of the fox directly behind them.

Vivienne seemed to study Judy for a moment or two before leaning down and whispering something to Peggy which caused the bunny to burst out laughing.

 _This is all Trisha's fault..._

"Ready?" Trisha asked as she came skipping up behind Nick.

The fox pulled his head away from the curtain and looked down at the bunny.

"Why?" Nick asked, not sure if he should be mad or happy this was all happening.

"Why what?"

"Why is SHE here?"

"To see you of course," Trisha said as she wiggled her nose. "They were in town after all and looking for something to do. When I mentioned you were in the play with me she got all sorts of excited."

"She….she did?"

"Oh yeah," Trisha said as she turned and sauntered away. "Why do you think you got the lead role?"

When the lights in the theater dimmed the audience fell silent. A kind of excited energy coming from all the mammals sitting in the low lights.

"And now," A young voice came from the speakers, "Please enjoy this years Christmas play written and directed by Trisha Rose."

Both Trisha's parent's eyes went wide as their ears fell back behind their heads.

"Written and directed?!" Trisha's father said in a hushed panic. "I thought after last year they wouldn't let this happen again?"

"Oh no," Peggy whispered. "Is that why they were handing out ponchos for the first 2 rows?"

Several other mammals seemed to become somewhat hesitant at the announcement, one family got up and moved back several rows, seeking cover behind an elephant who looked equally hesitantly.

Vivienne was somewhat oblivious to all this as she settled into her set and put her paws together in gentle applause like some of the other unsuspecting mammals.

The curtain slowly rose up and the show began with a small black bunny standing in a spotlight. It was hard to see her face with the robe over her head. When the bunny looked up she scanned the audience with a pair of bright orange eyes.

"DOOM!" The bunny shouted, her voice echoing in the theater, several more mammals took cover. "Doom and chaos. That was all we knew ages ago before the great Christmas tree war."

"Oh no….this is all your mother's idea isn't it," Peggy whispered to her husband who already put a paw on his face.

"I told her no more warrior stories for bedtime when she visits. Especially after the last Christmas when Trisha attacked the tree with a gold club."

"Shhhh!" Vivienne hushed her bunny friends quickly, not wanting to miss a line of dialogue.

"There was once a peaceful warrior clan who wandered the earth," The small bunny continued as she slowly stepped to the side of the stage.

Right on cue, several mammals clambered out from stage left. Most of them in makeshift battle armor that looked like it had been pieced together from various objects one would find around the home.

Several flashes came from the audience as parents snapped pictures of their little ones.

"These brave heroes were lead by a fierce warrior queen," The narrator continued.

Trisha took several steps forward and held up a small plastic sword. She was adorned in what looked like cardboard armor spray painted silver and a green kilt, a small pumpkin plushie stapped to her side.

"So adorable," Vivienne whispered to Peggy.

"Just wait….she will find a way to cause trouble," Peggy grumbled.

"She is so pretty Judy," Sarah whispered to her sister as the two does sat in the row just in front of the two gossiping mothers.

"She looks like she is ready for a fight," Judy whispered huskily as she stared at her silly friend.

"Do you think she will like my sweater?" Sarah whispered back as she wiggled in her seat and looked down at her Christmas sweater. One of their aunts had knitted all the kits different sweaters. Sarah had a special request, a Christmas tree with pumpkin ornaments.

"Bet she will," Judy chuckled as she held her little sister closer and continued to watch the show.

"With her best friend at her side," The narrator continued as Nick stepped beside Trisha and struck a heroic pose. "They were an unstable army."

Judy's mouth fell open slightly and she lowered her head so she could hide her blush behind Sarah's head. Nick was wearing what looked like a bathrobe which had been hastily wrapped up so he looked like a samurai. Even in front of the audience of total strangers, the fox carried with him an essence of confidence. While he had been told to keep his pose so he was looking skyward he couldn't help but look down at the audience. His eyes falling on his mother at first who was fighting with a disposable camera. He tried his best not to look embarrassed.

That's when he did it….he chanced a glance at Judy.

His emerald eyes met her own purple ones and just like that, the world fell silent around them. The two were floating in a sea of darkness, staring at one another. Judy felt her ears warm up and her whole body shiver with excitement. She squeezed Sarah close and tried to hide her feelings. The smallest of sweet smiles, however, graced her lips which was enough to drive the young fox up the wall.

So much so that he almost missed his cue.

"What say you my 2nd in command?" Trisha said in a husky voice as she glanced at Nick.

 _Oh gosh almost forgot._

"It is time for our enemies to face their piney doom, my queen," Nick said in a deep voice which was met by several awws from the crowd for some reason.

The tone in some of the awws didn't go unnoticed by Judy whose ears shot up. She glanced down the row and suddenly noticed one or two of her sisters making goo-goo eyes at the handsome tod on stage.

 _Note to self, Jessica, Veranda, and Rachael are not allowed near Nick….ever!_

The play continued for several more minutes. The different warriors discussing amongst themselves or monologuing for the captivated audience.

There were tales of sorrow and woe spun by the warriors. A young skunk in a pilots outfit stepped forward and spoke about how his sister had been carried off by one of the Christmas trees when he was younger. A lovely female skunk in the audience stood up and applauded her son's lines before being hushed by her husband.

Suddenly the ambient music that had been playing changed. The mood in the play taking a drastic turn.

Several Christmas trees came hopping from the other side of the stage. They came to a halt near the center of the stage as all the warriors struck dramatic poses, preparing for battle.

"Queen of the warriors," Came Delta's voice from behind one of the trees as it shook. "You have no chance of defeating us. Submit to your pine tree scented fate."

Judy giggled when she recognized the painted dog's voice and noticed how Sarah wiggled excitedly.

"That's one of my knights," The multi-colored doe whispered to Judy happily.

"Wonder where the other one is?" Judy giggled.

The doe's question was answered when a pair of painted paws popped out from behind one of the tree. A few paw gestures were made before the paws disappeared. All eyes that had been on the paws looked over at the other tree, waiting for a translation.

"That wasn't your line," Delta whispered from behind the tree. "You skipped a part."

The paws appeared once more and made another set of paw gestures before popping back into the tree.

"He said that no matter how many warriors you bring it will never be enough for we the mighty pine tree have grown strong and will cover you in a fine green needle curtain of pokiness."

"Please don't go overboard, please don't go overboard, please don't go overboard," Peggy continued a silent mantra.

"Enough words," Nick said as he pulled a papier-mache sword from his belt.

"Attack!" Trisha yelled as she pounced on one of the trees, wapping it with her own battle ax.

The next few minutes was a chaotic storm of warrior shouts, thuds from toy weapons, and pine needles flying through the air.

At least the show was entertaining though. Several of the audience members really got into it, letting out Ohs and Ahs as the battle was played out on stage.

Judy was standing on her seat and throwing imaginary punches as she mumbled to herself, "That's right! Get it, Nick. Watch out Trisha that one is sneaking up on you."

Sarah said wheezing in her seat as she watched the show. She wasn't alone.

Right behind them, Vivienne was laughing hysterically as she watched her son chase a Christmas tree around the stage, his sword held over his head as he gave off a battle cry. The vixen glanced at the bunny sitting in front of them and beamed.

 _She is adorable! Good choice Nicky._

"If we sneak out now we may have a chance to get out of town before the neighbors grab their pitchforks," Trisha's father whispered to Peggy who was watching the battle ensue in a kind of shocked state.

Trisha flew through the air and landed on top of one of the trees, causing the mammal holding it to lose control. The tree toppled over with the bunny shrieking a battle cry as she hopped off and did a flip, landing on her feet before charging at another tree. Judy noticed Delta, who had been standing behind the tree Trisha had just taken out, stand there nervously.

The painted dog looked at the audience, then at his tree, then just fell to the floor and crawled to the fallen tree as he tried to hide. The whole scene was rather amusing which made Judy chuckle.

"Oh no! Its the Christmas tree king!" The narrator announced.

The battle continued to ensue. Young mammals shouting and yelling around the stage, paying little attention to what was going on around them.

A large papier-mache tree was wheeled out on a red wagon by a stage mammal dressed in all black. The cheetah looked at the audience, waved, then put her paws to her ears as she hurried backstage.

"That's not a good sign," Peggy mumbled.

"Bazooka!" Trisha shouted as she was tossed a large green pip with the word 'Bazooka' hastily written on it.

The bunny took a knee and aimed at the tree.

"Merry Christmas Tree King," Trisha said as she pulled a trigger which caused the pipe to make a pop, confetti shooting at the tree.

"That wasn't so bad-" Peggy heard her husband say before he was cut off.

The papier-mache Christmas tree king suddenly exploded. Bright green and red confetti showered down on the audience who sat in shock, a silence falling in the theater.

As one everyone stood up and began to put their paws together. The applause was thunderous as mammals cheered, cried, and laughed at what they had just witnessed.

The young actors all hurried to the front of the stage and held paws. Nick and Trisha in the middle. As one they all bowed as the cheers continued.

Judy was practically bouncing off her seat as she put her paws together. She never looked away from Nick and when he glanced up at her she nearly fell to the floor as her legs turned to jelly. Fortunately for her, a pair of large black paws grabbed her before she toppled over.

"You ok Judy?" A lovely vixen behind the doe asked.

"Yes ma'am," Judy said with a blush, "Sorry about that."

"Its ok sweetie, he is quite the actor isn't he," The lovely female fox said. A pair of familiar green eyes looking down at the bunny with a kind of knowing warmth.

Nick watched from the stage as the curtain slowly slid in front of them. The last thing he saw was Judy being helped up by his mother. The two sharing a few words, Peggy was beaming right next to them.

Nick's eyes went wide as he watched his mother and Judy start to chat, both of them beaming before looking back at Nick just before the curtain hid him from view.

 _Oh, no…._

When the play was done all the kits met with their parents in the large atrium. Parents were gushing over their children about how each of them had been the star of the show. Cheeks were squeezed, pictures were taken, the occasional young kit trying to escape the grasp of some overly excited parent.

It was all rather foreign to Nick who had never been in a school play before. He had never been invited to help out in one and would mostly keep to himself. Now though he was standing in a lobby surrounded by different families, all of whom seemed very proud of him.

"Way to go foxy samurai."

"Such a handsome tod."

"You and Trisha taught those trees a lesson."

Praise and kind words were sent Nick's way. He was a little timid at first but soon got out of his shell and thanked everyone who passed by.

"There he is!" Nick heard his mother, his ears flicking up as he looked over at the gushing vixen.

Before Nick could react he was scooped up into a loving hug as his mother pressed her muzzle to his cheek.

"You were fantastic sweetie," Vivienne said happily.

"Thanks, Mom," Nick said, trying his best to contain his excitement.

"A certain bunny thought so too."

"MOM!" Nick blurted out as his eyes popped open.

"Where is she anyway?" Vivienne asked, neglecting to put her struggling tod down as she twirled around the room, looking for a certain bunny.

"Mom please!" Nick pleaded with his mom. To get a hug from her was one thing but for her to be gushing like this in front of everyone was a bit much for the young tod.

"Nick!" Trisha shouted through the throng of well-wishers as she scurried between mammal's legs.

The fox looked over at the bunny, giving her a pleading look.

"Auntie Viv he needs air," Trisha exclaimed with a laugh as she reached the two foxes.

"Oh, and the director," Vivienne said happily as she set Nick down, the fox trying to catch his breath.

Trisha wiggled in place and beamed, "Did you like the show?"

"Very much dear," Vivienne said as she took a knee and reached out, gently placing a paw on Trisha's shoulder. "You fought beautifully."

"Thank you," Trisha said bashfully. "Are you all coming to the after party?"

"Oh look at you, big theater director has an after party too?" Vivienne chuckled.

"Well, its actually our Christmas party, but you two are coming right?"

"Anyone else going?" Vivienne asked with a smirk as she looked over at Nick.

Trisha looked over at Nick with an equally smug smirk, "Maaaaaaybe"

It took a little while to make it to the parking lot. The crowd had yet to dissipate and when some of the parents saw Nick they made a point to introduce themselves. A few of them had felt worried that they didn't recognize Nick from the local school. When it was found out Vivienne and Nick were from Zootopia the atmosphere changed. Nick had thought he was a celebrity before but now he was the center of attention.

Some of the younger mammals he had been in the play began to ask questions about the city. Some of their parents were interested as well.

By the time Vivienne and Nick made it to their car, they must have had 6 new sets of phone numbers and several lunch plans for the next time they were in the seaside city.

"Well look at you Mr. Popular," Vivienne chuckled as she put their car into drive.

"Glad some folks finally see it," Nick chuckled which earned a laugh from his mother.

After swinging by their families home to change Nick and his mother hopped into the car once more and headed a few blocks over to the Rose home. Vivienne took a wrong turn at one point and had to reroute. Nick glanced out the window and noticed the park that they had visited during one of his previous visits.

His heart skipped a beat as he remembered sitting on the swings next to Judy, their paws intertwined as they talked. Nick didn't notice it but his tail began to flick back and forth thanks to the memories. It wasn't until Vivienne asked him what was up that he realized what he was doing.

What saved the fox from a series of embarrassing questions from his mother was their arrival at the Rose's home. The tod nearly darted out of the car when his mom put it into park.

The outside of the bunny's home was adorned with various Christmas decorations. Multi-colored lights were strung around the roof and a series of small snow mammals had been sculpted in the snow in the front yard.

Nick laughed as he noticed several of the snow mammals had arrows sticking out of them. He had a feeling a certain bunny had been using the snow creatures for target practice of some kind.

When they reached the front door Nick reached up and pressed his paw to the doorbell. They could hear the voices of many different mammals inside and Nick smiled excitedly. He looked up at his mother who gave him a loving smile in return.

"Wait till you meet everyone Mom," Nick said happily. "They are all really nice here."

The door swung open and they were met with a stern looking painted dog in a police uniform.

"Well well well," The painted officer said as he crossed his arms. "What do we have here?"

Nick's ears fell flat against his head as he looked up hesitantly at the officer.

He recognized Delta's father Larry but apparently so much time had passed that the painted mammal had forgotten who Nick was.

"Up high Samurai," Larry said as he held a paw up and gave Nick a friendly wink.

Nick had to jump into the air to get his paw high enough. The painted dog then reached down and gave the fox a rub on the head between the ears. He then turned to Vivienne and extended his paw.

"Name's Larry, I am Delta and Echo's father," The painted dog said kindly. "Friends of your sons."

"Pleasure to meet you, officer-"

"Ah ah ah, its Larry, ma'am," The officer said kindly.

"Well, its Vivienne or Viv, none of this ma'am stuff," Vivienne said sweetly as she gave the painted dog a confident smile.

"Well come on in out of the cold," Larry said as he took a step aside.

Once inside Larry took Nick and Vivienne's coats and set them in the closet next to the entryway.

"Now let's see if we can find Peg and get you hooked up with some punch," Larry said as he guided Vivienne through the hall around several other mammals who gave the new arrivals warm greetings. "I am sure Trisha will be around to collect your son in just a-"

Larry didn't even finish his sentence as a brown fluff ball collided with Nick and wrapped her arms around the surprised tod. She didn't even say a word as she grabbed Nick by the paw and dragged him away.

"Don't worry, I'm sure she will return him in one piece," The painted dog teased.

"He is young and bruises heal," Vivienne shot back as she wandered into the kitchen where she was greeted by Peggy and several friends.

Down the hallway, Trisha had stopped just shy of her own room and turned to look at Nick. The doe was no longer in her warrior queen attire. Having changed it out for a baggy green Christmas sweater with a candy cane in the center. She had a red ribbon tied around one of her ears and a sneaky smile on her lips.

"So everyone has already arrived and we are hanging out in my room, for now, moved the bean bag chairs from my brother room," Trisha explained as she reached up and adjusted Nick's dark blue sweater.

"Ok," Nick said as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Sorry, just trying to make you look nice, which is actually kinda hard."

"Har Har."

Trisha winked at Nick then opened the door to her room and pushed the fox inside.

Three mammals were waiting for them. Delta and Atom were sitting on Trisha's bed with a series of cards in front of them. Sarah was sitting between Atom's legs, holding some cards in her paws.

"Nick!" Sarah exclaimed as she nearly leaped off the bed and scrambled over to the fox.

"Hey Sarah," Nick said as he opened his arms and wrapped them around the small multi-colored doe who purred into the fox's chest.

"You kicked so much butt in the show today," The doe exclaimed as she looked up at Nick with her bright pink eyes.

"Glad you liked it, Trisha wrote it all," Nick said as he gently ran a paw down the bunny's black ear.

Sarah closed her eyes and let out a pleased cooing noise as she gently buried her face into the fox.

"Don't remember a part in the script where my tree gets tackled to the ground," Delta grumbled.

"I improvised, it just felt right in the heat of the moment," Trisha giggled as she climbed up onto the bed and crawled over towards Delta.

The painted dog remained focused on his card game with Atom, which proved to be easier said than done. Trisha gently rubbed her head against the young mammal's shoulder before slowly climbing up onto his lap, her bright blue eyes looking right at Delta's. Try as he might he was unable to avoid the bunny's playful glance.

Something jingled just over the canine's head. Both Trisha and Delta looked up, their eyes going wide as they realized Atom was holding over a piece of mistletoe with a small bell. The tan painted dog snickering as he jingled the small festive plant.

Trisha didn't even hesitate as she turned to Delta and gently pressed her lips to the fur on the predator's cheek. Her lips lingered for a second or two before pulling away.

Everyone in the room fell silent and stared at the bunny painted dog pair.

"Me next!" Sarah exclaimed as she scrambled away from Nick and towards the bed.

Trisha chuckled as she helped Sarah up onto the bed. The brown bunny began to peck at Sarah's cheek which caused the multi-colored doe to giggle.

As Nick watched he detected someone sneaking up behind him. The young fox glanced over his shoulder in time to see a ball of gray leap up towards him. He felt his whole world become warmer as a pair of gray arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hi there Samurai," Judy whispered playfully into Nick's ears.

"Officer Hopps," Nick responded. He felt the doe holding onto his back shake suddenly with excitement.

Nick couldn't help himself as he placed his paws on top of Judy's arms so she wouldn't let go. He leaned his head to the side and felt his cheek brush against hers. To his joy, he felt her nuzzle into his fur and let out a soft breath of happiness.

"Glad you made it to Manta Baya again this year," Nick whispered as he let go of Judy's arms. The bunny slid off his back, knowing what the fox had planned.

Nick turned and smiled down at the doe who was in an outfit similar to Trisha's. Judy's sweater, however, was bright red with a Christmas tree on the center. The ribbon wrapped around her ear was green. The two does must have coordinated outfits for the little get together. While Trisha was rather adorable in her outfit Nick couldn't even fathom the words to describe how beautiful Judy looked.

"Well Trisha said there was going to be a special guest for her play," Judy said with a wink as she tilted her head.

The two stood staring at one another for another moment or two before they both reached out and embraced one another once more. Nick wrapped Judy up into a hug, the doe closing her eyes as she buried her face in the young tod's chest and giggled.

To say that the two were rather giddy around one another was a bit of an understatement. A pair of happy smirks were on their lips and Nick doubted anyone could ruin his happy mood.

A jingling just above the fox's head caught his attention. Nick looked upward and noticed the mistletoe in Atom's paw was now hanging directly over Nick and Judy. He glanced over his shoulder and found that the others were all staring right at the fox and bunny pair.

Trisha was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs crossed as she looked right at Nick who rolled his eyes. The brown bunny wiggled in place excitedly as she watched.

"Well?" Judy asked which got Nick's attention.

The fox looked down at noticed how Judy's eyes were shining as she stared up at him. She tilted her head slightly to show off the lovely storm gray fur mixed with white.

Nick's heart was racing as he leaned down, gently pressing his muzzle to the bunny's fur.

To his surprise, he felt a slight pressure as Judy leaned against him.

"Me next!" Sarah suddenly blurted out as she hopped off the bed.

Everyone let out a laugh, Judy included, as the small doe scurried over to Nick and stood next to the fox. The multi-colored bunny bounced in place as Atom jingled the mistletoe overhead.

Nick looked at Judy who beamed at the fox and nodded. He slowly leaned down and gave the smaller bunny a gentle kiss on the cheeks. The doe giggling happily before darting away.

Delta suddenly leapt at Atom and to everyone's surprise, quickly grabbed the mistletoe from his painted friend. Atom squirmed at first and tilted his head in confusion as he sat up. Delta cleared his throat and held the small holiday plant over Atom's head, giving it a gentle flick causing the bell to ring.

Atom's eyes went wide and his pupils dilated as he realized what Delta had just done. He slowly looked over at the three bunnies in the room, all of them were smiling mischievously at the poor painted pup.

Seconds later the door to Trisha's room burst open as Atom came scrambling out of the room, running on all fours as he tried to escape the gaggle of bunnies that chased after him, threats of kisses on the cheek tossed at the panic-stricken dog.

Delta and Nick came strolling out of the room a moment later, both of them with smug looks on their muzzles as they watched Atom hurry away.

"Feel like some snacks?" Delta asked as he strolled down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Oh yeah, I can eat," Nick said casually as he followed the painted dog.

A crash somewhere in the house followed by a thud told them the chase was still on for Atom.

"Around the corner Sarah! Get on that side of the couch! Don't let him escape," Came Trishas voice from in the living room.

The rest of the evening was a festive affair. There was sweets, drinks, and some singing.

Vivienne and Nick had been welcomed with open arms and treated like a member of the family. Nick's mother was actually somewhat surprised with how many different species were attending the little get together. Predators and prey species alike were chatting and enjoying one another's company.

That, however, was not Vivienne's favorite part of the party. Nor was it all the free food, kind words, or even when she was given a present from Peggy which she gushed over.

No the vixen's favorite moment, the one she would cherish for days to come, was when she made her way into the living room later in the evening. The kits had been running all over the house. Playing games, chasing one another, or finding snacks to munch on. It wasn't long before all their energy had been spent and they all found some spot in the home to rest.

Vivienne noticed a young painted dog named Atom was curled up in the corner by the tree. An adorable multi-colored doe laying right on top of him.

Trisha and her own painted dog were chatting in hushed voices across from the Christmas tree. The bunny mentioning something about the library. The young painted dog next to her suddenly looking rather embarrassed.

Something caught Vivienne's eye near the fireplace. She tiptoed over and had to put a paw to her mouth to keep the "awww" from escaping and waking her tod.

Curled up on a large lazy chair near the roaring fire was her son. The young fox was holding onto something small and gray which Vivienne had thought to be a small pillow at first. When she got closer she realized it was a bunny in a red sweater with a green ribbon around one of her ears.

* * *

 **Happy Holidays Everyone!**

 **Wow really coming under the wire for this one.**

 **Managed to find a little extra time here and there though to get our holiday special of sorts completed! Which is good because I am going to be super busy the next few days. My birthday is tomorrow, then Christmas Eve, then the big day! So busy busy busy. :D**

 **Hope you all enjoyed another fluff filled chapter. Think I went overboard again but is that a bad thing?**

 **Thank you all for the continued support and patience for this story.**

 **Till next time.**

 **Cya in Manta Bay!**


	9. Cards, Candy, and a Bow-wielding Bun

-Cards, Candy, and a Bow-wielding Bun-

Nick had trouble focusing on his studies. Most lovestruck mammals did during this time of year. Most of the stores were filled with red, pink, and white decorations. Hearts of all shapes and sizes were displayed. Some of them filled with candies, others little treats, some were just giant pillows.

It was the time of year that some mammals took a deep breath and dove into relationships. Others remaining at a distance and sending secrets notes professing their love to another mammal, hoping to one day to be brave enough to reveal who they really were.

The young tod currently daydreaming in the class had only one thing in mind. Well, one mammal at least.

A pair of purple eyes, stormy gray fur, a pair of black tipped ears...one of them just a little thicker than the other which just made her that much more-

"Earth to Mr. Wilde."

 _Oh No…._

Nick winced as he slowly looked back to the front of the class. His teacher, Mrs. Drolet, staring at him with a knowing smirk. The ocelot had caught the young fox daydreaming.

The young fox prepared himself for an earful but thankfully his teacher simply winked before returning to the topic at paw.

"As I was saying before having to wrangle Nick back to Earth," There was a series of chuckles and giggles from Nick's classmates who all looked at the embarrassed tod. Some of them giving Nick encouraging looks, others still held some contempt.

Over the recent weeks, Nick had seen a shift in others opinion of him. To his surprise, some of his classmates had actually started treating him with kindness. He couldn't quite figure out why. Which caused him to become somewhat reserved in how he treated others. The memories of the junior ranger meeting were always lingering in the back of his mind. The mammals he thought would be his friends had turned on him so quickly. He still didn't talk to any of them. Which made things somewhat hard because they were all in the same class.

"Since Valentine's day is tomorrow I thought we could spend the remainder of the day making cards," Mrs. Drolet continued. "Whether they are for your parents, maybe a sibling, or a certain someone sitting in this very classroom."

There was a series of embarrassed giggles, several of the female students glancing around at one another or some of the boys.

Nick's lips curled but the look of excitement was quickly masked. He had learned how to keep his emotions in check around his classmates as of late. None of them really knew about his feelings towards a certain bunny. It helped that she lived in a completely different city. He, however, didn't want to give anyone ammunition if he could avoid it.

He had witnessed on several occasions just how much teasing a mammal would have to endure when the word got out they had a crush on another classmate.

Nick remembered how two of his classmates had been caught holding paws after school. They were still hearing kissy noises when they walked down the hall and it had already been a month.

The students in the classroom started on their assignments as Mrs. Drolet passed out construction paper and various crafting material. Much to her merit, the ocelot managed to maintain a kind of controlled chaos as her students hurried around the room. Most of them breaking off into their little cliques as they gossiped and helped one another with their card and craft making.

"So you going to make something for her?" Came a knowing voice just beside Nick.

The fox looked up in time to see a young female painted dog take a seat in the desk next to his, its previous occupant having long abandoned it.

"And who might that be Copper?" Nick asked as he looked into a pair of forest green eyes that stared back at him.

"Ju-" the young painted dog began but sat back as the young fox reached out and put a paw to the female's muzzle.

"Shhh!" The fox hissed and looked around as if the whole class would be eavesdropping.

Much to the fox's luck, no one had paid the two young predators any mind as they focused on their own projects.

Copper sat with Nick's paw covering her mouth for another moment or two before swatting it away.

"Oh come on," The young painted mammal began, "No one here even knows her."

Nick drew in a deep breath and shook his head, "Sorry Cop, but can't risk it."

"Fox's are weird," Copper mumbled as she began to fold a bright red piece of construction paper.

"Says the pup named after the wiring," Nick grumbled which earned a snort from his friend.

Copper was new to the class. In fact, she was new to the whole city of Zootopia. She had moved to the city recently. She came from a faraway place she didn't like talking about very much. Nick had learned why early on.

Copper had been adopted recently. She had previously been living in various orphanages and homes. One day though she had gotten the wish that so many of the children had, someone had chosen her to join their family.

As luck would have it Copper had been adopted by Delta's uncle. When Copper's new cousin had found out where the young painted dog would be moving he had made sure Nick was aware. Delta and his family had even come to Zootopia to help Copper's family with the move.

Nick had been invited over to meet Copper and her parents.

Much to Nick's surprise he had been taken aside by Copper's new mother and spoken to in hush tones.

"Nick, can you do me a favor?" She had asked.

"Ma'am?"

"My sweet Copper has been through so much," The kind painted mother said as she took a knee so she was level with Nick. "She will need someone to keep an eye on her. Since she is now my only child and all our family is back in Manta Bay she will need a friend. Can I depend on you?"

Nick had been shocked when he had been asked. He had never been spoken to like that. To be asked with such sincerity and hope. He had accepted the request. As it turned out Copper and Nick managed to not only get along but thrive as friends.

Even though things had changed for Nick, he still felt like an outcast. Copper helped him grow out of his shell.

Unfortunately, a certain blue-eyed brown terror back in Manta Bay had found out about all this. Trisha had sent Copper a series of postcards and a few little gifts. Welcoming the painted dog to the pumpkin army, painted division.

Copper at first played it off that she was indifferent to the invitation. Nick, however, noticed how Copper always smiled at the mention of Trisha and how she still had the cards sent from the brown bunny. She would occasionally insist she was not part of Trisha's army which had Nick scoffing, reminding the naive painted pup that she didn't really have a choice. When Trisha wanted a mammal as a minion, they pretty much became a minion.

Being one of Trisha's hench mammals came with its perks for Copper. The main one was how she was now privy to interesting information. Like how a certain young fox in Zootopia had feelings for a certain bunny in BunnyBurrow.

Something that Copper would occasionally bring up to get a rise out of Nick.

"You know you have to right?" Copper mentioned as Nick started to try and cut a heart shape from white construction paper, the edges coming off a little square like.

Nick thought for a moment then glanced over at Copper, "Says who?"

"Well for one if Trisha finds out," Copper began.

Nick winced. Copper had a point. Trisha had this annoying habit of pestering Nick whether it was via postcard or phone call. The doe constantly badgering Nick about how things were with him and Judy.

 _Not like it is any of her business anyway._

"You also don't want her to think you don't care…" Copper trailed off as she glanced over her shoulder at a jet black panther who was currently using a dark red marker to make a series of swirls on a circular piece of paper. "Its best to do it just as a reminder."

Nick glanced over his shoulder at the panther whose ears flicked, she looked up as if detecting she was being watched. Before she could pick out who though the two canines had returned to their own work.

"Have you even said anything to her?" Nick asked.

"Said Hi in the cafeteria the other day," Copper said with a meek smile.

It was Nick's turn to have a knowing look on his muzzle.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Hate you."

"Vi is really nice," Nick pointed out.

"She reminds me of someone…"Copper admitted. "There was this panther that would visit us and spend time with us...Vi smells just like her."

Before Nick could start his teasing a black hoof grabbed a bottle of glue right off his desk. The fox looked over in time to see a young zebra trying to hurry away. When their eyes met Nick was surprised to see the zebra scowl.

"Save the glue for mammals who actually have valentines. You can always steal more somewhere else."

Before Nick could speak Copper had stood up from her seat and stared down at the zebra.

"Glue, back on the desk, now," The young painted pup growled.

The zebra froze, not ready to contend with the growling painted female. He set the glue back down on the desk and raised his hooves up, giving Copper a weak grin.

Copper had gotten a bit of a reputation when she first arrived at the school. She had proven she wasn't the type to be trifled with. On more than one occasion she hadn't hesitated to get in a scrap if someone pushed her or other around. While she had been told on multiple occasions to simply get a teacher she said she wasn't used to running for help. She had grown up on her own so the way she saw it she had to handle things herself.

Nick admired her a bit for that. He was also very grateful to have a friend like her in his corner, especially now.

"Thanks Cop-"Nick began.

Copper, however, turned to Nick, a fire in her eyes. She reached over to her desk and put a piece of heart-shaped paper in front of Nick.

"Write her something sweet," Copper said simply. "Then use green glitter around the edges, her favorite color is green."

It took a second for Nick to put two and two together, his eyelids drooping.

"Trisha tell you to do this."

"All hail the pumpkin queen."

The next day flew by like a blur for most young mammals. School wasn't really much of a problem since most of the teachers gave up trying to get any work done. Most of their students were bouncing off the walls thanks to all the candy being given out.

Some teachers embraced the holiday and threw little parties for their students. Bringing in punch and different sweet treats for the little ones.

The real highlight was the card exchange. Most students bought packs of cards at the local grocery stores and filled them out for each of their classmates. Taping a small chocolate or treat before depositing them in makeshift mailboxes attached to the front of each desk.

Some mammals, however, would make personal cards. Most of the time these were given to best friends. On very rare occasions though one of the young romantics would muster up the courage and paw deliver a card to someone they really cared about. This was normally done under many different gazes as most of the kits in the class would want to watch.

Judy sat in her own classroom and watched with excitement as one of her brothers strolled bravely down the row of seats towards one of their classmates. The brown and white dutch colored doe froze as she spotted the approaching buck. Her ears went right up and her eyes widened with excitement as a rosy tint went up the inside of her ears.

 _You can do it, Jeff!_

Judy was elated to see her brother stop right in front of the doe at the front of the class and hold out a paw made valentines day card. The bunny giggled uncontrollably as she reached out and took the card.

Before any words could be exchanged however Jeff's bravery ran out and he hurried away back to the safety of his desk where several of his friends waited.

Even Judy was blushing as she watched the awkward exchange occur. She was however happy for her brother as she watched the bunny at the front of the class read the card she had just been delivered before holding it to her chest and letting out an excited sigh of happiness.

Judy busied herself organizing the stack of cards she had gotten. Her mind wandering to a certain someone in another city.

 _Would he have made me a card and done that?_

Judy blushed at her own thoughts as the daydream began.

There was Nick strolling down the series of desks. A confident smirk on his muzzle as he carried a card for Judy. He stopped right in front of her desk, smiling down at her with those handsome green eyes.

"I made this for you Officer Judy," He would most likely say. The little nickname always made her tail wiggle with joy.

Judy's thoughts were interrupted when the door to their classroom opened up.

Their teacher, Ms. Bound, looked up from her own stack of valentines day cards she had gotten from her students. The bunny smiled over at the goat currently standing in the doorway, a bundle of envelopes in his hooves.

"Mail delivery Ms. Bound," The old goat announced as he strolled towards the bunny's desk.

"Thank you Mr. Tedry," Ms. Bound said as she stood up from her desk and met the goat halfway and retrieved the series of envelopes. "Any plans with May tonight?"

"Oh, you best believe it," The goat chuckled. "Got reservations down at Market Street then a stroll through the gardens. Yourself?"

"Well that sounds lovely, give her my love will you?" Ms. Bound said with a smile as she adjusted her large black-rimmed glasses, "Sadly looks like just grading papers with a bottle of wine."

"Oh come now, young looker like you shouldn't be stuck at home," The goat said kindly. "Why don't you join us? I am sure May would love to catch up."

"That's sweet Ed but I dare not get between you two and a romantic evening, how about next week?"

"It's a date," The goat said with a chuckle. "Wait till the boys down on Mainstreet see me walking around with two of the cutest girls in town."

Ms. Bound chuckled and Judy noticed a slight blush on her teacher during the exchange.

The young bunny sat back in her desk and took a moment to close her eyes. What would she be doing tonight? If Nick were here maybe they could go on a walk too. Or maybe to the fair that was currently nestled near downtown. Would he want to?

After Mr. Tedry left Ms. Bound began to distribute the mail that had just been delivered. One of the traditions for valentine's day at Judy's school was parents or relatives could send mail right to the school. As long as it had the class number and students name it was easy enough to be delivered, even in a school with so many bunnies.

Ms. Bound wandered through the classroom, pawing out small stacks of letters to her eager students. When she reached Judy however she paused and studied the pile of letters addressed to the young doe.

"It would seem someone in Manta Bay has forgotten what holiday it is," Judy's teacher said with a chuckle as she held up an envelope for the class to see.

Judy couldn't help but giggle as she noticed a bright orange envelope with a jack-o-lantern's smiling face in her teacher's paw.

"Yeah that's from a friend of mine," Judy admitted as the envelope was placed on her desk.

"Well maybe you can get your friend a calendar for their birthday, Judy," Ms. Bound teased.

"Wouldn't make much of a difference ma'am, my friend loves pumpkins."

Once her teacher left Judy began to flip through the different envelopes. While receiving something from Trisha really made her day, there was another address she was looking for.

Sadly Judy reached the bottom of the envelopes addressed to her with no signs of a letter from Zootopia.

 _Guess he forgot…Or maybe he sent something to the burrow._

Judy convinced herself that a letter from a certain fox would be waiting for her at home. There normally was one from Nick in the mail at least once a week. Ever since their last holiday visit to Manta Bay Nick had been writing Judy often. A small collection of postcards had been hidden away in her room from her mother for some time now.

Little did she know Bonnie had found the stash ages ago and had immediately called Peggy in Manta Bay to gush about it.

Judy opened the envelope from Trisha and instantly closed it as her eyes widened in shock. She glanced around her desk, making sure no one had seen the contents of the envelope.

Everyone else was too busy with their own cards to pay any attention to Judy who slowly opened the orange envelope once more and peaked inside.

Trisha had made two cards for Judy this year. One of them was a picture of Judy and Trisha hugging one another at the Manta Bay Aquarium from last year. A series of hearts drawn around them. A note had been written over the picture.

" _Judy, you are my favorite bunny minion. -Love Trisha"_

Judy beamed as she read the card. The fun memories from her trips to Manta Bay filling her mind.

This card, however, wasn't the reason for her surprised reaction.

It was the other card Trisha had made, the bunny either wanting to embarrass Judy or tease her. Whatever the reason Judy still felt her heart swell with affection for Trisha.

Trisha had taken the time to make a card that was covered in small pictures of Judy and Nick from their various adventures. Several bright hearts with arrows through them were sketched on the card.

When Judy flipped the card over her cheeks warmed and she felt her heart skip a beat.

Drawn on the back was a large heart with two words written in the middle.

 _Judy + Nick_

Judy let out a sigh as she sat and looked at the card. Flipping it over from time to time to look at the pictures. She glanced at the card with the picture of Judy and Trisha hugging. Her purple eyes falling on the image of Trisha.

 _Thanks, Trisha._

As Judy looked over the cards a thought popped into her mind.

 _Wonder what she is up to today?_

Over in the city of Manta Bay, a series of rain clouds had found a way to park themselves right over the seaside metropolis.

Normally this would have been a bit of a pain. It meant no after-school adventures or get togethers as most mammals would be hurrying home. This didn't phase Trisha too much however as she was currently occupying a seat outside of the principal's office.

The doe was swaying her large feet back and forth in the air. The chair she currently occupied was obviously designed for a mammal much bigger than herself. Occasionally she would glance over at the principal's secretary. The porcupine would look up from her paperwork and smirk at Trisha, shaking her head before returning to work.

Even though the young doe wasn't exactly a bully or a mean spirited kit she seemed to have a knack for finding trouble. The mischievous bunny would regularly end up in the same seat outside the office, waiting to be told she could enter to have a stern talking to.

She was never worried though, she knew if she laid on the cuteness just right she could probably get out of detention.

The doe looked up at the ceiling and studied the tiles on the ceiling. The same tiles she had studied many times before.

 _Haven't gotten detention before, don't think they will start now._

Trisha's bright blue gaze finally fell on the seat next to her where a plastic bow was currently sitting. It reminded her of the old western movies her grandmother let her watch on occasion. Wild bunnies running across the silver screen, letting arrows fly at other mammals as they chanted a warcry.

Meanwhile, inside the principal's office, three mammals were currently in a somewhat heated discussion. Well, two of the mammals were somewhat heated. Trisha's mother Peggy, however, was both calm and collected as she stared at the principal and the armadillo next to them.

The doe had to maintain her compusre as best she could but even she had to admit the situation was rather amusing. She glanced over at the armadillo on occasion but couldn't even make eye contact out of fear of bursting out with laughter.

The annoyed looking teacher's shell was covered with arrows, the suction cupped tips stuck to his back in all sorts of odd angles which told Peggy Trisha had most likely been jumping off tables and taking shots at the teacher during the attack.

"She was a maniac. She was hopping everywhere laughing like some kind of rabid beast as she fired arrows all over," The teacher explained as he waved his arms about.

"Mrs. Rose," The Jaguar principal said as he raised a large paw, silencing his fellow educator for the moment. "Do not get me wrong, I do enjoy your daughters…..passion….while at school. But such behavior needs to be reeled in. We cannot have her hopping over desks and firing arrows-"

"Where did she get the bow and arrow kit anyways?" Peggy asked as she tilted her head. "My husband and I managed to raid her new hidden weapons cache last week so she hasn't had time to resupply…"

Peggy's mind drifted off as she tried to figure out where her little troublemaker could have even gotten the bow and arrow playset. She was somewhat oblivious to the odd looks she was getting from the two mammals who were shocked that such a sentence could have been said so casually.

To a member of the Rose family, however, this was as casual a topic as the weather. Occasionally Trisha's parents would come across a nerf gun armory, or maybe a super soaker cache, the snowball pile they found in the back of the freezer in mid-July had actually been rather amusing. Especially when Peggy had turned the tables and chased her daughter through the house, lobbing snowballs and the laughing doe.

"Well, she got it from me," The armadillo covered in arrows announced. "As part of a little skit-"

"Wait," Peggy said as she raised a paw and closed her eyes, not sure if she had heard right. "You mean to tell me you are the one that armed her?"

"As part of a little play for the class presentation about Cupid and-"

"How long have you been teaching Mr. Hicks?" Peggy asked as she let out a sigh.

"That is not in question here!"

"Ok, better question," Peggy began as she adjusted herself in the chair before the jaguar and armadillo. "How long have you been teaching my Trisha?"

"Well just this past school year so roughly 6 months I guess, why is this important?"

Peggy chuckled and rolled her eyes before looking right at the armadillo.

"Six months? Then why in the world did you think it was a good idea to give her a bow and arrow set?"

The jaguar's lips curled and he let out a soft chuckle, "She has a point, Mark. I mean how many times have you seen what that little trouble maker can do?"

"That's beside the point!" Mr. Hicks bellowed. "She is a menace!"

"Ok I wouldn't go that far," The Jaguar said as he raised his paws to try and calm his colleague.

"Look what she did Steven!" The armadillo turned to show his shell which was covered in small toy arrows. "What do you all have to say about this?!"

"Nice aim?" Peggy suggested.

When the meeting was over Peggy strolled out of the principal's office, promising she would have a stern talking to about decisions and what not with her daughter.

Peggy took her daughter by the paw and led the skipping doe out of the school and towards their car which sat in a visitors spot. Peggy, however, had visited the school so many times thanks to the little trouble maker she was about to suggest getting her own reserved parking spot.

"We are going to have a talk young lady," Peggy said as she buckled Trisha into a seat in the back of the car.

Trisha's ears drooped slightly and a worried look crossed her adorable face.

"They showed me the box the bow and arrows came in," Peggy said as she looked down at her daughter. "Says there were twelve arrows in the kit. I only saw 6 on Mr. Hicks….your accuracy needs a lot of improvement."

Trisha's eyes lit up with delight and she kicked her legs back and forth, "Hey! He was a moving target and I didn't think he could move that quickly. I would have easily gotten 8 shots on him if Mat hadn't looked like such an easy target. Plus Emily had been asking for an arrow to the butt with the teasing about Delta."

Peggy let out a laugh as she rolled her eyes, "Great….so now I have to call Mat's parents along with Jean and apologize for my little trouble bun."

"Naw," Trisha said as she waved a paw, "They are used to me by now."

"Guess Nick, Judy, and Sarah are used to you by now too," Peggy said playfully as she got into the front seat and started her car.

Trisha's ears shot right up at the mention of her friend's names.

"Because guess who all is coming to visit tomorrow."

-The next day-

"Now arriving at Manta Bay central station," Nick mimicked the announcement that buzzed over the PA system inside the train car.

The young tod nearly leaped out of his seat as he hurriedly gathered his things. Careful not to bend a bright red envelope with a certain bunny's name scribbled on it

"Have a nice stay Nick," A friendly zebra conductor said sweetly as she retrieved Nick's baggage from the overhead.

Nick had been on the Manta Bay line so many times that several of the train staff had gotten to know the young tod. Occasionally the snack cart gazelle would drop off a cookie for Nick, or maybe the bartender in the dining cart would bring him a soda.

The conductor would always make sure she was nearby whenever they pulled into Manta Bay so she could help the young fox with his luggage.

"Thanks, Cindy," Nick said as he grabbed his bags and hurried off the train. "I'm heading back to Zootopia tomorrow, are you working?"

"Yes, looks like we will cya tomorrow kitto," The zebra said as she tipped her hat and watched the eager young fox hurry onto the platform. "Such a sweet fox."

Nick gave a wave to his friend and was about to turn and look for his family who said they would be waiting to pick him up when he heard something whiz through the air.

He felt a slight pressure on the center of his chest and looked down to see a toy arrow sticking to his t-shirt.

"Ten points!" Trisha whooped from down the platform.

Nick looked down the platform and smiled as he saw Trisha standing in front of a group of mammals.

From the looks of it, Nick had quite the welcoming committee waiting for him.

Jean and Peggy stood behind Emily, Sarah, and Judy who were all beaming at the fox. Trisha twirled her bow in her paws and gave the fox a smug grin.

"Welcome back to Manta minion."

Nick bowed before Trisha, "Thank you, your majesty."

Almost as if a floodgate had been opened Nick was swarmed by the girls. The bunnies hurrying over to each greet Nick. Emily following close behind.

Try as they might Nick and Judy could not playoff how happy they were to see one another. Nick's tail swished back and forth as the small gray bunny closed her eyes, burying her face into the fox's shirt.

Trisha managed to climb up on Nick's back and pressed her cheeks to the young fox's.

"Ok snap another one now before they look," Jean said quickly to Peggy who raised her camera and tried to take as many pictures as she could.

"Oh, Viv is gonna love that one," Peggy whispered as she put the camera away.

After picking up Nick at the station the gang loaded up into Jean's car and headed home. The kits in the back catching up with one another. It was somewhat amazing how much time had passed since they had all last seen each other but when they were all together it didn't feel that way.

Over the course of the short drive, each of the kits brought up various memories they had collected over the year. Trisha bragged to Emily about the comic book that Sarah and Judy had made for her on her birthday. Emily laughing and looking over at Sarah who blushed.

Sarah asked how her two painted knights were. To which Emily informed the bunny that Delta and Atom would actually be joining them later at her house. The multi-colored doe nearly leaped out of her seat with excitement.

While the kits chatted in the back seat Peggy glanced over her shoulder at the back rows. A smug smirk crossing her lips as she looked back out her window.

"Jean."

"Yeah?"

"You seeing your nephew?"

Jean raised a brow as she glanced at her bunny friend who gave her a wink. The vixen reached up to her rearview mirror and adjusted it slightly so she could see the backseat.

Her eyes widened as a similarly smug smirk to Peggy's graced her lips.

"That's my Nick," She whispered.

While the others busied with their conversation no one had taken notice of Nick and Judy, who sat paw in paw in their seat. The gray bunny leaning against the young tod as she held a small card up in front of her, an open envelope resting on her lap.

The way her young ears stood straight up as her purple eyes skimmed across the card was rather adorable. A slight blush covering the doe's cheeks as she read the card over and over again.

Nick kept his paw wrapped around Judy's as he looked out the window, an embarrassed yet pleased smile on his muzzle.

* * *

 **Hey All,**

 **Sorry for the absence as of late. Work has been pretty busy and I haven't been able to have much free time in order to write.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed another fluff filled chapter from Manta Bay. Think we went overboard again but I just enjoy making stories with so much joy!**

 **Hope to see you all again soon in Manta Bay.**

 **-Blue**


	10. Camp WeWa

-Camp WeWa Part 1-

Summer!

The mere mentioning of this word was enough to make most kits jump for joy, while some parents would groan with not so much joy.

No school for several weeks was something most kits looked forward too while most parents dreaded it.

Sure it was nice to spend time with family but some parents needed time away from their little monsters…. Or angels.

Little did Nick know as he hurried home from his last day of school that his mother had already taken it upon herself to fill part of Nick's summer with a unique adventure.

Nick opened the front door to their quaint apartment and was surprised when his nose picked up the familiar scent of his mother who was busy in the kitchen. Normally she would still be at work and he would be waiting for her to get home so they could have dinner together.

Vivienne being home early told Nick that something was up.

As the young tod came around the corner to the kitchen he saw his mother busy preparing a snack for her son.

The vixen's ears twitched and a pleased smile graced her lovely lips as she turned to welcome Nick home.

"Well hey, there my little camper," The vixen said as she picked up a towel from the counter and wiped her paws before opening her arms.

Nick hurried over to his mother and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pressed his head against her chest.

"Hey Mom," Nick said happily as his tail swished back and forth. He suddenly tensed up as his mother's greeting played over in his head. The young fox looked up into his mother's warm gaze. "Camper?"

A few minutes later Nick was sitting at the kitchen table munching on a blueberry muffin his mother had baked fresh for him. His bright green eyes would occasionally go over to an open wooden box on the counter that read "Hopps family farms". Try as he might his tail would give away his emotions as it swished back and forth whenever he saw the name, Hopps.

"How is it? I tried a new recipe Judy's mother gave me," Vivienne said, trying her best not to laugh at how her son's ears went right up at the mention of a certain bunny.

"It's really good mom," Nick said, trying his best to hide his excitement. The fox stared at his mother, trying to be patient but the anticipation was starting to get to him.

He had started to learn how to read mammals. How they would act whenever they were keeping a secret or maybe hiding something. His mother had a few unique tells, slight as they were, that the young fox had started to learn about.

One of the main giveaways was how often she would blink. When she had something exciting she hadn't revealed yet the vixen would start to blink more.

The way her eyes kept fluttering closed told Nick that his mother was up to something. Add that to the fact she made one of his favorite snacks and the young tod could only guess something big was up. Sure it was the last day of classes before summer but Nick could tell there was something else going on.

"So," Vivienne began as she reached over and grabbed her purse, reaching in and digging around for something. "You remember how I said that my work would get a little hectic in a few months?"

"Yeaaaaah," Nick said hesitantly.

"And how I said you may not see me too often…"

"Yeah?"

"Well turns out that a few months was not right."

"Uh oh," Nick said as his ears drooped.

He had been hoping that over the summer he and his mother would get a chance to spend more time together. While his mother didn't have to work nearly as much as she used to she was still very busy. They got to see another on the weekends but Nick had been hoping for a chance to spend more than just dinner and breakfast with his mother. Maybe go on a weekend trip? A mini vacation? Or just a day where they stayed in and played board games.

Vivienne tried to make time for her son. Having to support the young tod on her own however meant she had to work a little extra to ensure they could both live comfortably and that money was saved for Nick's future.

For such a young fox Nick understood all this, for which his mother was grateful.

"I know sweetie," Vivienne said with a sigh before furrowing her brow. The vixen was still looking around her purse, apparently having trouble finding what she had been planning to show Nick.

"Could I maybe...you know…?" Nick began to try and find a way to bring up another option. His thoughts went to a coastal city not too far from Zootopia where some of his family resided.

"Your uncle and Aunt in Manta Bay are going to be out of town," Vivienne said quickly as she finally relented and simply picked up her bag and placed it on her lap, digging both paws inside as she continued to look for something. Her focus being on the bag meant she missed the disappointed look on Nick's young face. The look however quickly vanished as Vivienne continued. "Which is why...CAJ and I got together...and ...oh, where did it get to?"

Vivienne closed her bag and looked around with an annoyed look.

"Ah!" she said as she spotted a pamphlet on the counter nearby. Nick's mother stood up and walked over and scooped up the paper and brought it back to the table. She sat down gracefully in the seat next to her son and scooted closer so she could put an arm around his shoulder. She placed the pamphlet in front of Nick and simply watched her son's reaction.

Nick's bright green eyes widened as he read some of the words on the cover of the pamphlet.

 _Canoeing!_

 _Archery!_

 _Ropes course!_

 _Summer fun!_

All these words were written in a bright yellow and spread all over the cover which had the image of a large wooden sign that sat in front of a cabin.

"Camp WeWa?" Nick asked as he looked up at his mother, his tail giving away his excitement as it swished quickly.

"You leave in a few days my little camper," Vivienne said excitedly as she scrunched her nose at her little one. "The camp will finish by the time my project is coming to close at which point I will pick you and your cousin up and we can return to Manta Bay for a little family vacation. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Nick exclaimed as he hugged his mother. "Emily is coming?"

"Yes," Vivienne said happily as she stroked her son's ears. "Someone has to keep an eye on the pumpkin queen."

"Trisha too?"

Vivienne smirked and nodded.

"Anyone else?" Nick asked, trying and failing to hide who he was really asking about.

"About that sweetie…"

A few days later Nick found himself sitting on a worn cushioned seat as the dark green bus with the camps logo painted on the side bounced along a dirt road that weaved through the forest.

The forests outside were a serene atmosphere. The sounds of the wind blowing through the breeze only occasionally interrupted by the sputtering of the bus's engine.

The inside of the bus, however, was kind of controlled chaos. The bus driver would occasionally shout from his seat at the front, however, the old wolf had long given up on trying to keep everyone completely quiet. He simply asked them to keep it at least down to a low roar.

A sudden bump caused all the young mammals in the bus to fly a few inches off their seats before landing with a collective squeal of excitement.

Several of the girls let out screams while a group of rowdy boys in the back laughed.

Nick was suddenly squished by the large canine sitting next to him who was not as accustomed to bumpy driving as the others.

"Ack Cop you're squishing me," Nick let out with a laugh.

"Sorry Nick," the painted dog said as she tried to scoot away but the driver took a sudden turn which caused the female to lean against nick, the pair both began to laugh, Copper closing her dark green eyes as she let out a snort.

Once the road smoothed out the two canines began to discuss what they could only guess was in store for them at camp.

"Hope we get to go out on the water," Copper said as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Always wanted to go canoeing."

"Well they did tell us to pack our swimsuits so I bet we will at least get to play in the lake," Nick suggested as he looked out the dusty window.

"Maybe Judy will want to be in your canoe," Copper whispered as she leaned close to the fox who nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Cop!"

"What?" Copper asked with a chuckle as a pair of black and russet colored paws began to slap her on the arm.

The rest of the bus ride was more of the same. Nick would try and change subjects about all the camp activities they could look forward too. Copper would suggest that Judy would enjoy them too.

The thing is Nick's mother had been somewhat secretive when she came to talking about the camp. She had managed to let slip that Trisha and Emily would be going. Other than that though the vixen had kept her muzzle tight-lipped whenever Nick tried to pry out some kind of information.

Nick had been excited ever since he had heard about camp WeWa. Even more so when he found out he would be attending it with some friends.

He was eager to find out if a certain bunny, in particular, would be there with them.

"Alright Campers!" the driver at the front barked as he pulled the bus into a lazy turn. Ahead of them was a giant wooden archway with a sign in the center. "Welcome to Camp WeWa!"

Nick read the weathered wooden sign as they drove underneath. The letters _WeWa_ sat on a giant board which had been painted green.

The mood in the bus had grown even more chaotic, if that was even possible, as the large vehicle lumbered into a dirt parking lot.

Several other buses sat spread throughout the lot. Campers of all species, shapes, and sizes busied themselves unloading buses or stretching after being cooped up during their travels to the camp.

Nick couldn't help himself as he pressed his nose against the glass. He was suddenly squished as his large seatmate stood upon the cushioned seat and put her paws on the fox's shoulders. Nick felt a head rest on top of his own but didn't mind. Over the course of the past few months, Copper and Nick had become rather good friends. He had learned that painted dogs were actually very pack oriented and if you were considered part of their pack they wouldn't hesitate to keep close to you.

 _Think Trisha is part painted dog._

Nick smirked at his own thoughts as he scanned the sea of young mammals. Trying to see if he could pick out his friends from the seaside city.

Their bus found an empty spot in the parking lot and came to a stop. The doors slid open with a series of creaks and groans, the gears having rusted many years ago.

It was like a flood gate had been opened up. Everyone on the bus scrambled to get out into the fresh it and our of the stuffy green box that had brought them there.

A few of the more eager mammals jumped over some of the smaller ones, only to end up tripping last second and landing in the dirt and pine needles that covered the old lot.

There was some laughter and the occasional groan but eventually, everyone was out of the bus.

Nick closed his eyes as he stretched his arms into the sky, feeling his sore legs fill with some relief.

As the fox stood in the warm sun that poked through the trees his ears shot up and twitched slightly.

Even through all the hustle and bustle, he could swear he heard something...familiar. Like a pair of large feet hurrying towards him.

Nick was about to write it off as his imagination when the pawsteps suddenly stopped nearby. It wasn't as if the mammal had stopped, no it was as if...their feet...had left...the ground

 _Oh no._

Nick didn't have time to do anything except brace himself as he felt a small ball of brown fur collide and wrap a pair of small arms around his body.

The fox seized up and tried to maintain his balance but he lost his footing and soon found himself on the ground, a certain bunny using him as a chair as she crawled on top of him and made herself comfortable.

"We really need to work on your reaction time," Trisha said smugly from atop her perch on the fox.

"We need to work on yours too," Nick said slyly.

Trisha's ears went up and her eyes widened as she realized what the fox meant. Nick had been preparing for this for months, knowing the bunny would most likely try something.

He used his strength and pushed himself off the ground. Before the small brown doe went tumbling however he managed to grab onto her and roll over.

"Bah! Nick no that tickles!" Trisha squealed as she tried to wriggle away.

Nick finally stood up, still holding the doe, squeezing her sides which caused her to wheeze with laughter.

"Minions!" Trisha shouted as she closed her eyes.

"Uh oh," Nick said as he looked ahead.

Emily suddenly appeared through the crowd of young mammals. A happy smile gracing her lips.

Copper was on the ground nearby, a pleased-looking Atom was holding onto his fellow painted mammal. Delta was on the other side of Copper, his arms around Copper's waist. The three painted dogs having dogpiled when no one was looking.

The three painted canines suddenly looked up towards Nick. All their eyes zeroing in on him.

"Free your queen!" Trisha barked as she squirmed in Nick's arms.

As one the four canines suddenly charged forward, all of them with mischievous smiles on their faces.

"That's right Nick," Trisha began as she looked over her shoulder up at the fox. "You're in trouble now. My minions will...wait...slow down! Wait!"

Trisha looked at the approaching pack of predators and her eyes widened when she realized they weren't slowing down.

Emily was the first to reach Nick and Trisha and she wrapped her arms around Nick, squishing Trisha in the process.

"Ack!" Trisha squealed from between the foxes.

Soon the others arrived and Nick felt himself pushed to the ground as his friends piled on top of him.

Trisha managed to wriggle free and clawed her way out of the pile. Only to feel Atom grab onto one of her ankles.

"Don't you dare," Trisha tried to growl but was dragged back into the pile of friends who all started to laugh.

Eventually, everyone got to their feet and greeted one another. Emily hugged her cousin and told him how her parents said hello.

Atom in his normal fashion hurried over and gave Nick a hug, the painted dog snorting with excitement.

Delta patted Nick on the back and gave the fox a smile.

Trisha was the final greeting. The doe waddling up to her friend and holding out her arms and wiggling her digits, expecting the fox to come to her level.

The height difference had really started to show between the two friends. Nick having hit a growth spurt while Trisha remained her normal fun sized self.

Nick took a knee and Trisha rested her head against the fox's shoulders as she wrapped her small arms around her friend's waist.

When the two parted Nick brushed the dirt from his knees and looked around at his friends.

"So whose bright idea was the camp?" Nick asked, having remembered last year's spring break and how Trisha had organized raising funds so everyone could go.

Everyone looked around at one another, wondering who would take credit. When no one volunteered Trisha took a step so she was in the middle of everyone.

"Wait wait wait," The doe said as she raised her paws. "You mean our parents actually arranged this? They never do something this cool."

"Sounds like they are learning," Emily suggested.

"Bout time," Delta chimed in.

"Yeah but they never organize anything fun," Trisha teased.

"Oh my gosh!" Copper suddenly blurted out before putting a paw to her mouth. Everyone looked at the painted dog in confusion. "I think this was me. I told them I never went camping with friends before "

"Aren't you from the forest?" Emily pointed out.

"Fairfax," Copper corrected. "That was where...I was...well, where I was dropped off."

Nick could feel his heart sink at Copper's words. The painted dog had been abandoned by her previous parents before being adopted and moved to Zootopia by Delta's uncle.

Trisha turned to look at Copper and began to wiggle her rear end which confused the painted dog who tilted her head as she stared at the odd bunny.

"Oh I know that dance," Emily giggled.

"Better prepare yourself Cuz," Delta said with a laugh.

"Why?" Copper began, taking her eyes off of Trisha for a second, which was a bit of a mistake on her part.

Nick watched as Trisha propelled herself at the painted dog, arms wide open which made latching onto the unaware Copper rather easy.

The gang laughed as Copper teetered in place, a certain brown nuisance climbing around so she could hold onto Copper's shoulders and rest on the painted dog's back.

Nick looked around at all the other mammals in the lot. The camp buses were still busy unloading the campers that had arrived from all over. Nick noticed that each bus came from different places. While some were from Zootopia others were from regions from around the city.

He looked from bus to bus, searching for a certain name.

His gaze didn't go unnoticed by the others who all looked at one another before Emily finally spoke up.

"Nick…" The young vixen began, catching her cousins attention.

Nick looked over and tilted his head. He could tell something was up from how his cousin spoke.

"About Judy and Sarah…"

Her tone said it all. They weren't here…

Nick tried his best to hide his disappointment but his ears gave him away as they drooped.

"Sorry bud," Delta said as he patted the fox on the shoulder.

"Yeah...sorry…" Trisha said as her own ears drooped.

 _It was a long shot I guess…_

While it was awesome to see all his friends from Manta Bay Nick felt a slight pang of sadness knowing he wouldn't get to see a certain someone this summer.

His mother had been very cryptic about it all when she explained who would be going to camp. She had never mentioned Judy or Sarah but Nick had still held out hope he would see his friends from Bunnyburrow.

There was always-

A bus sounded its horn as it entered the lot which caught Nick's attention. It was another weather work green bus like all the others. This one, however, was a little longer. The sign just above the window read _BunnyBurrow._

"Yeah sorry Nick," Emily said as her lips cracked into a smile. "Judy's bus was running late."

Nick ignored the shared laugh from his friends as he looked at the long bus from Judy's hometown come to a stop nearby.

When the doors opened up a Cascade of bunnies came pouring out. Rabbits of all shapes, sizes, and colors flooded out into the parking lot. Try as they might the camp counselors had trouble controlling the sudden kerfuffle that had invaded the forest.

Nick's brilliant green eyes darted about as he tried to see her.

Occasionally a black tip pair of ears would catch his eyes but he would quickly realize it wasn't the pair he was looking for.

Soon the swarm of bunnies surrounded Nick and his friends making it that much harder for the young fox to search for the one he was looking for.

 _She has t be here somewhere._

"Nick," Trisha said from behind the fox.

"What?" Asked as he continued scanning the crowd.

"Nick," Trisha said again, sounding annoyed.

"Hold on," Nick said as he waved his paw just behind him.

"Nick!" This time it wasn't Trisha.

No, that voice belonged to a different bunny.

The fox's ears raised up and his tail swished back and forth as he recognized the sweet sounding voice.

When he turned around he saw her.

Judy was standing right behind Nick, having snuck past the fox. A rather pleased smile on her lips as she rolled on the balls of her large feet. The bunny looked rather adorable in a blue checkered button up shirt and a pair of sun-bleached jeans with holes at the knees.

"Hey Nick," Judy began.

Nick couldn't think of anything to say. He was completely speechless.

That didn't stop him from greeting the bunny though. He took a few quick steps towards Judy who ran at the fox, meeting him halfway.

They didn't even try to hide how excited they were to see one another. Judy leaped into Nick's arms and the fox quickly wrapped her up in a hug, holding the small doe close.

"She was talking about him none stop on the bus ride over," Sarah said from her spot in Atom's arms as the painted dog squeezed the small multi-colored bunny close, snorting into the doe's fur. The small bunny having snuck past Nick as well and was busy being greeted by her painted friends.

As the others greeted one another and caught up Judy remained in Nick's arms. The doe rubbing the top of her head against the bottom of Nick's snout, letting out the softest of purrs.

Nick kept his eyes closed and swayed back and forth as he kept the bunny close.

It wasn't until one of the camp counselors began to corral all the young mammals out of the dusty parking lot that Nick and Judy let one another go.

Once out of Nick's grasp Judy skipped alongside the fox as they made their way towards a series of wooden signs.

Judy's paw remained in Nick's as they trotted along. Trisha joined in and held Judy's other paw, skipping along with her giddy friend.

Nick couldn't believe how much joy he was suddenly feeling. Sure he had been happy about the camp before. Now though he was so excited he could barely contain himself. His tail would swish back and forth, he couldn't stop smiling, the whole scene was rather amusing to Emily who was more than happy to point out the fox's mood to the others.

Copper, who had never seen Nick this way, was especially giddy about the tod's mood.

When they reached the edge of the parking lot they noticed a series of large wooden sign. Each of them had pieces of paper pinned to them. They had been separated into two lists.

One list had all the girls names in alphabetical order while the others had the boys.

Next to each name was a cabin number, telling each of the mammals where they would be bunking.

As luck would have it, they all seemed to be assigned to the same set of cabins. The boys would be in cabin 10 while the girls would be in cabin 7.

"10 and 7," Trisha began with a grin. "Has a nice ring to it."

The gang had to separate for a bit when it came to cabins. Boys weren't allowed near the girl cabins for reasons unbenonced to the group.

Nick overheard a rather preppy looking doe whispering to one of her friends as the campers separated.

"It's because all they do is jump around and mess things up, or they play too rough."

Nick looked over at Trisha and Judy who were carrying their own backpacks and sleeping bags and smiled, knowing full well that the boys weren't the only ones capable of cabin destruction.

When the boys finally arrived at their cabin they began to pick bunks. Atom and Delta, of course, we're sharing a bunk bed. The two painted dogs fighting over who got the top bunk. In the end, Atom prevailed and sat triumphantly on the top bunk, silently putting his paws together and shaking them together like a sports mammal that had just won a tournament.

Nick meanwhile was on the bottom bunk. His bed was next to Delta and Atom.

While some of the boys preferred the top part of the beds Nick actually liked the idea of sleeping closer to the floor in case he happened to roll out of bed.

As the boys all paired off and began to unpack Nick noticed a nervous looking skunk still lingering at the front door to the cabin. A hesitant look on the young mammals face as he looked around.

Nick and Delta made eye contact and both nodded in silent agreement.

"His name is Mat, goes to our school," Delta whispered as Nick trotted over.

"Hey Mat," Nick said in a friendly manner as he approached the skunk who looked right at Nick with a pair of light blue eyes. "I am Nick, want to share a bunk? You can have the top."

The skunk was somewhat silent at first but nodded, slowly following Nick over to the bunk bed.

"Hey Mat," Delta said as he busied himself with unrolling his sleeping bag.

"Hey Delta," Mat said hesitantly before looking up at Atom who hung over the side of the top bunk, upside down so his ears flopped oddly. "Hey, Atom."

Atom waved and signed a series of paw gestures. Delta tilted his head slightly as he tried to understand the upside down signals.

"Atom! Dude, we don't talk about that," Delta said as he seated at his friends simply snorted and turned to Nick, making a series of paw signs that Nick didn't understand.

Nick looked at Delta and then at Mat, "He wants to know if you and Trisha are talking again."

Mat's eyes went wide and Nick could tell the smaller mammal was embarrassed.

"Why wouldn't she be talking to you?" Nick asked with a smile. "I mean normally she won't stop talking."

Mat looked at Delta and then over at Nick before his eyes went to the floor.

"I scare easily," Mat admitted.

"So?" Nick began before it hit him.

His mind began to race as he realized how unwise it would be to scare a skunk.

"You want to tell him or should I?" Delta asked with a laugh.

"I didn't mean to!" Mat said as he gripped his sleeping bag closer and looked up at Nick s if the fox was berating him. "She just snuck up behind me and it startled me."

"No way," Nick began with a laugh. "did you spray her?"

"It was an accident!"

Nick roared with laughter and held onto his sides as he took a knee. The thought of Trisha being sprayed by the young skunk was just too funny to Nick.

"She had to miss school for like 3 days," Delta said with a chuckle. "Her mom had to go and buy all the tomato soup at the supermarket."

"Why?" Nick asked as he caught his breath and looked over at his painted friend.

Atom was now sitting on Delta's part of the bunk bed, silently wheezing and hitting his paws on the bed, obviously laughing at the memory.

"It helps...with the smell," Mat grumbled sounding completely mortified as he waddled towards the bunk bed.

"If it makes you feel any better Mat I think she actually enjoyed it," Delta said, trying to comfort the skunk. "Apparently she chased her brothers around the house trying to stink them up too."

Mat looked over his shoulder and Nick noticed the smallest of pleased grins on the smaller mammals mouth.

While the boys got unpacked in their cabin another set of mammals busied themselves with catching up on their own cabin.

"I don't think I have ever seen him smile so big," Copper teased as she put a bag of her clothes under her chosen bunk bed.

Try as Judy might she couldn't help but blush, a rosy color going up her ears.

This was actually the first time Copper and Judy had met face to face. They had immediately hit it off though and were soon chatting like they were old friends.

Judy was actually eager to talk to Copper, especially since the painted dog was one of Nick's classmates. It had hit Judy recently that their circle of friends were rather spread out so having a chance to talk to someone who saw Nick often was something she had looked forward to.

"Well I think I have seen him smile pretty big before," Emily chimed in as she busied herself with adjusting her sleeping bag on her bed. Both Copper and Judy looked over at Emily who grinned playfully. "Last Halloween."

Judy didn't realize she could be so embarrassed. The doe quickly looked away and tried to hide the goofy grin on her lips.

The memory of last Halloween played over in her mind. She had taken a leap and giving Nick a kiss on the cheek which had resulted with Nick falling over in shock. Even in his stunned state though he had looked rather pleased with the whole event.

"Oh?" Copper said with a smug tone. "Do go on."

"No do not," Judy said as she turned and gave Emily a look.

"Well we were at old wolf Johnson's and Sarah had just run the obstacle course when Judy decided-"

A pillow collided with the top of Emily's head. The vixen looked over at Judy who looked just as shocked, her own pillow still sitting neatly on top of her bed.

"Wait a sec…" Emily began as she inspected the smiling pumpkin covered pillow. "Oh no…"

From the top bunk came an odd war cry as two bunnies suddenly leaped from their hiding spot and landed on top of Emily who gave out a muffled "ooof."

Both Sarah and Trisha had landed on top of the vixen and were now holding on as Emily squirmed, trying to get up.

"All hail the Pumpkin Queen and Moon Princess," Trisha barked.

"Yeah! Hail us!" Sarah joined in.

"Oh great she is teaching Sarah to be weird," Emily groaned.

Judy and Copper meanwhile were busy laughing at the two doe's hijinks. Judy looked over at her sister and friend who were busy trying to pin Emily to the floor, to no avail thanks to the size difference mind you. When their eyes met Trisha gave Judy the most subtle of winks. The brown bunny had saved Judy from some embarrassment and Judy was grateful that the attention was now on Emily as she tried to stop Sarah from latching onto her head.

"So exactly did Judy decide to do during Halloween?" Copper asked, trying to return to the previous conversation.

She was cut off however as the pumpkin pillow hit her on the side of the head.

Since most of the campers hadn't arrived till the late afternoon there weren't any activities scheduled for the day. For the most part, the first day of camp was all about getting everyone settled in.

It didn't take long for the sun to start setting over the camp. The warm night air carried with it all the sounds of nature, only to be interrupted by a loud bell signaling dinner.

All the meals would take place in a large mess hall at the center of the camp. The campers all hurried over and quickly scrambled up the series of stone steps that led into the main building. The gang managed to gather at the bottom of the steps where they greeted one another once more.

Sarah was quickly scooped up by Atom, the painted bunny sitting on the canine's shoulders as he hurried up the steps.

Trisha hopped up on Delta's back and wrapped her arms around her painted dog's shoulders. The way his tail swished back and forth told everyone just how much he was enjoying himself.

Copper, Emily, Nick, and Judy brought up the rear. The female canine's walking on either side.

Nick smiled down at Judy who beamed back up at him, a bit of awkward happiness between them.

"Hold her paw," Copper whispered to Nick.

"What?" The oblivious tod asked as he looked over at his classmate.

"Hold her paw," Copper tried to whisper again so no one except Nick heard her.

"She said to hold my paw," Judy said with a laugh.

Copper winced and looked over at Judy who simply pointed up at her large ears.

"It's hard to keep secrets around a bunny," Judy said as she scrunched her nose as she reached out and took Nick by the paw.

Nick remained silent as a goofy grin crossed his muzzle.

"Oh gosh cuz," Emily snorted as she walked alongside Judy.

"This is going to be a fun camp," Copper teased as she nudged Nick.

Once inside the mess hall the gang found a table in the far corner and took their seats. Each table had already been set up with food. A large bowl of spaghetti sat in the center. Next to it was a bowl of beetle balls for the mammals needing protein and also a bowl of salad for the vegetarians.

Atom and Sarah, however, went right for the breadsticks that had been placed in small baskets around the table.

Before everyone dove into their meal, a hush came across the crowd of campers as an old yack wobbled up on stage. His walk seemed labored and he needed to lean on a cane. His fur was a mix of brown and white, his age having caught up to his fur.

"That's Ed," Trisha whispered to her table. "Mom told me about him, he was in charge when she came here as a doe."

Everyone sat in silence and watched as the elder mammal finally made it to the center of a raised platform where a microphone waited.

Nick held his breath and began to wonder what would happen next.

Someone this old would probably be rather stern, or maybe strict, or worse...

"What up my little dudes and dudettes," Ed asked as he raised a paw.

Or maybe he would be completely cool.

"Welcome to camp-" Ed began before a series of coughs caused him to stop. A lovely looking whitetail deer hurried up and tried to calm the yack who simply waved her aside. "I'm good Mary, must have been the joi-"

Ed stopped mid-sentence and gave a nervous smile to the sea of innocent faces.

"Must be all the excitement," The yack continued, "Welcome family to camp WeWa. I am Ed, owner, head mammal, and resident old dude."

The crowd of young campers let out a series of laughs at the last bit.

"I just wanted to take a moment to say Hi and greet you all."

Someone beside the stage cleared their throat causing Ed to look in their direction. A strong and serious looking cheetah nodded at Ed then held up a large binder.

"What?" Ed asked as he tilted his head.

"The rules sir," The cheetah said as she took a step forward, her stern voice echoing in the mess hall.

"Ah chill out Mel," Ed began.

"Melissa," The cheetah corrected.

"That's what I said dude," Ed said as he waved a hoof. The yack suddenly looked down at his stomach which had begun to grumble. "Oh wow, was hungrier than I thought. Alright, we will go over the rules tomorrow. Let's eat."

All the younger mammals in the hall cheered. From the looks of it, Melissa was not pleased. Mary however quickly hurried over to Ed and helped the older mammal off the stage and towards a table where the adults would be eating.

"Oh I like Ed," Trisha said as she scooped some salad on her plate.

"Dude me too," Sarah said before munching on a breadstick.

"Dude," Copper joined in.

"Dude," Delta followed.

Atom suddenly stood up in his seat and made a series of paw signals. Everyone looked over at Delta for the translation.

"He says, Dude."

As everyone tried to find ways to fit the word "Dude" into their sentences a certain bunny and fox sat happily on one end of the table.

"Dude," Nick whispered as he leaned close to Judy who looked up. "I am glad you're here."

"Me too dude," Judy whispered back, scooping Nick's paw up with her own and giving it a squeeze.

As the dinner carried on they both sat there with smiles on their faces, their paws never letting go for the rest of dinner.

* * *

 **Hey there Campers!**

 **Welcome to Manta Bay's summer miniseries: Camp WeWa.**

 **Gonna have a few chapters of the gang and all their summer hijinks at camp. Hope you enjoyed this little intro. Lots more fluff inbound.**

 **Till next time,**

 **Cya at Camp WeWa!**

 **-Blue**


	11. Camp WeWa Part 2

-Camp Wewa part 2-

The first actual day of camp started out in a rather dazed blur to Nick. They were roused from their bunks by a trumpet near their cabin playing a rather upbeat tune that Nick would later learn was called Reveille.

It reminded him of an old western film he and his mother had watched during one of their movie nights. As the trumpet played a frontier soldier raised a flag and gave it a curt salute, signaling the start of the day.

The mammals at Camp Wewa, however, were far from the trained soldiers Nick had watched on screen.

He slowly sat up in bed and stretched, looking around at his fellow campers as they were roused from their slumbers.

Delta groaned and sat up, his fur, which was normally somewhat unkempt, looked even more so. Mat the skunk hopped from the top bunk above Nick and stretched, his tail going up caused both Nick and Delta to scoot away nervously.

Nick looked up at Atom's bunk and had to stifle a laugh. The painted dog was still out, buried underneath a pile of pillows and blankets. Nick suddenly realized he was missing a pillow and Delta was missing a blanket. Apparently in the night Atom had gone around and procured more cozy materials to make a kind of painted dog nest in his bed.

"Oi!" Delta barked as he stood up and noticed how his blanket had gone missing in the night. The painted dog looked up at the still snoring Atom and let out a soft growl. He then began to climb up towards the top bunk and grabbed Atom by the ankle, causing the sleeping painted mammal to stir. "Give us back our stuff you thieving vermin."

"I didn't steal anything," Came a shout from somewhere in the cabin.

"Not talking about you Stuart!" Delta shouted to the field mouse that was somewhere in their cabin.

Delta then turned towards Atom who slowly crawled in bed towards his friend. Nick and Mat watched in mild amusement as Atom lifted his head up only to rest it on top of Delta's, a pleased smile appeared on Atom's face as he yawned and made himself comfortable.

"Oh good morning Atom," Delta grumbled. "Have a good sleep?"

Atom simply nodded and smacked his lips as he began to drift off again in the rather odd position.

"Well that's good," Delta growled as he grabbed his blanket. "Would hate for you not to get enough beauty sleep."

Delta tugged at his blanket which caused Atom to suddenly move forward, the painted dog's bright yellow eyes shot open as he realized what was happening. He looked down at Delta and then at his pile of borrowed pillows and blankets and let out a snort. He then put a paw in front of Delta's face and made a series of gestures.

"Oh really? And why should I stop?" Delta asked as he gave the pile of blankets and pillows another tug, causing Atom to move closer to the edge of the bed.

Atom made another series of paw signals.

"Really? Regret it? You going to make me regret it or something?" Delta grumbled as he gave the pile one last firm tug.

Nick had wanted to say something but knew the end result was too good to miss so he remained silent. He watched as Atom was finally pulled to the edge of the bed where gravity did the rest. The painted dog began to tumble forward right towards Delta, the pile of pillows and blankets coming with him.

"Oh dang it!" Delta managed to shout as he fell backward off the bed, Atom following closely behind. The two painted dogs landed with a thud on the ground, quickly covered by a cascade of pillows.

"Not a word," Delta barked, his voice muffled from the pile of cozy materials.

Nick watched as one of Atom's paws came up from under the pile and made a series of gestures.

"I said not a word!" Delta growled from under the sheets, causing Atom's paw to retreat beneath the jumble of blankets.

When they were finally ready for the day the boys headed towards the center of camp and back to the main mess hall. As they approached the building Nick noticed one of the camp counselors was busy attaching flyers to a large announcement board. Nick tilted his head and trotted over to the young-looking moose who was busy with his duties.

Before Nick could see what the flyers read the moose seemed to stand up a little straighter when he detected movement behind him. He turned around and gave Nick a warm smile.

"Hop in and get some chow camper, not done putting up the stuff yet," The moose nodded back up towards the mess hall and then looked at Nick. While he was somewhat firm he still gave off a friendly demeanor.

Nick simply nodded and hurried back to the others who had already made it halfway up the steps.

"What was on the flyers?" Delta asked as Nick joined them.

"Not sure," Nick grumbled as he looked over his shoulder. "Looked like a bunch of names."

Atom made a series of paw signals and Nick looked to Delta, waiting for a translation.

"Why would they split us into groups according to ice cream flavors? They don't even know what flavor we like."

Nick snorted and looked at Atom who, despite the bad news about ice cream, had an open-mouth grin.

Once in the mess hall, the boys made their way over to the gang's table. For the most part, everyone seemed to be sitting in the same groups they had the night before. Nick noticed some mammals here and there were in different spots. It made sense, some kits probably made new friends and they were all getting a chance to get to know one another over breakfast.

The gang exchanged greetings as the boys arrived at the table. Trisha made sure to waddle around to each of the new arrivals and give them a quick hug around the waist. Sarah was close behind and would wait patiently before scurrying forward to hug each of the boys.

The small doe buried her head into Nick's stomach before looking up with her bright pink eyes.

"We built a fort," Sarah announced happily.

"More like a burrow," Emily teased from across the table.

"Burrow fort," Trisha chimed in as she took a seat between Delta and Emily.

Nick looked over at Judy who was sitting in the same seat as last night, a playful smile on her face as she eyed the tod.

Once Sarah had gotten her fill of affection she hurried over to sit in the same seat as Trisha. Since the does were so small they had no problem squeezing together.

Nick made his way to his seat. Before sitting down though Judy leaned over, the fox got the hint and gave the small gray doe a good morning hug.

"It was adorable Nick," Copper said as she began to pour syrup on the waffles currently stacked on her plate.

"What was?" Nick asked as he let go of Judy who seemed a little saddened the hug had come to an end. The young fox sat down and looked over at his classmate from Zootopia.

"The burrow," Copper began as she looked over at Judy who blushed slightly. "They fell asleep all curled up."

Nick grinned and looked over at Judy who was suddenly interested in the ceiling, "Really now?"

"Oh yeah, they made a little fort out of sleeping bags and blankets and then just passed out all curled up together," Copper teased.

"Bunnies make the best pillows," Trisha said from across the table as she busied herself with making some kind of small waffle house.

"Beph philloph," Sarah added, her cheeks full of waffle.

"Already knew that," Nick said casually as he looked at the various breakfast fixings on the table. It took him a second before he realized all eyes were on him, a series of curious looks staring him down. Nick let out a sigh and raised his paw, counting out each event. "Aquarium, Halloween, Winter-"

"Someone is a snuggly bunny," Trisha giggled as she looked over at Judy who was blushing like crazy.

The gray bunny simply looked at Trisha, a pair of purple eyes locking with bright blue ones. A kind of confident smirk crossed Judy's lips before she spoke.

"Library."

Trisha's eyes went wide as she looked at Judy. The brown bunny looked over at Delta who looked equally shocked. The two glanced at one another before suddenly looking away in opposite directions.

"Library?" Copper asked in curiosity.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that from your cousin?" Emily asked smugly.

Before the vixen could continue a waffle smacked her on the side of the head and thanks to the liberal amounts of syrup it remained stuck there. Emily turned to look at the culprit, Trisha, however, was busy inspecting the ceiling as if it had just appeared over their heads.

After the campers had gotten their fill of the breakfast foods spread across their tables the mess hall started to get a little rowdy. Most of the young kits had been allowed to make their own waffles which meant lots of extra syrup, whip cream, and powdered sugar. Needless to say half of the hall was currently experiencing some serious sugar rushes.

Before the hall descended into complete chaos the cheetah from the night before walked up to the stage and blew a whistle. The piercing noise caused some mammals to jump up in surprise. Nick noticed how all the bunnies at their table winced and lowered their ears quickly.

"Good morning Campers," The cheetah said as she placed her strong paws behind her back and stood in what Nick felt was some kind of military stance. "My name is Counselor Melissa Flowers-"

There was a series of chuckles and laughs from the crowd of young mammals. The lighthearted mood however quickly vanished when everyone saw the cheetah flex her muscles and grit her teeth. Unlike Ed, this mammal seemed to be all business.

"We have a lot planned for you all today. I would have liked to go over the rules with you last night but….Ed… felt it was unnecessary. So I will be brief because we have a schedule to keep."

"She isn't as fun as Ed," Nick heard Sarah murmur. The tod had to agree with the bunny in that regard.

"I am the head counselor here and it is my job to make sure our camp runs smoothly which means enforcing the rules. It is very simple. As long as you behave, listen to your counselors, and follow all posted signs and instructions then we will have nothing to worry about."

Flowers took a moment to scan the room. She must have noticed the nervous and somewhat frightened looks on the camper's faces but she didn't seem to care too much.

"Break the rules and you will be sent to my office. If I have to talk to you too many times then I am afraid your camp experience will have to end and you will be sent home early."

All eyes at the table went to Trisha who put on a shocked look that didn't fool anyone.

"I can behave," Trisha whispered.

"Really?" Delta asked.

"Well I can try at least," Trisha said with a mischievous grin as she looked at her painted friend.

"Outside of the mess hall is the main camp bulletin board. Its where you kind find the schedule for daily activities, phone numbers, meal times, and most importantly your group assignments."

Nick suddenly remembered seeing the moose early and now understood what the flyers all were.

"You have each been assigned a group which you will do all camp activities during your stay with us. You are free to eat here in the mess hall with whoever you like though. If anyone causes trouble in these groups though they will have a long talk with me," Flowers said sternly.

The hall was silent for a moment or two before Flowers raised her whistle and gave a quick blow, causing the hall to suddenly burst with activity as mammals of all shapes and sizes hurried towards the large doors, curious to see who they would be spending their camping adventures with.

A few buildings away a tired-looking Ed was laying in bed with his eyes closed. The young white-tailed deer from the night before sitting in a chair next to the older looking mammal, staring out the window in concern.

"Sounds like she found that whistle of hers after all," the young doe said with a sigh. The deer fell silent though when she felt a hoove gently grasp her own. She glanced over at Ed who gave her a weak smile.

Outside of the mess hall, all the campers gathered around the large announcement board Nick had seen the moose working at earlier. There were several large red flags with numbers on the top spread around the grassy field nearby. A camp counselor of various species stood by each flag, waiting to meet their groups.

"Alright kittos," the moose counselor said as he raised his hooves up to get everyone's attention. "Find your name on the board, it's in alphabetical order by last name. Next to it is a number, that will be your group. Just head on over to the flag with your number on it."

There was a mad dash for the board as the excited campers hurried to find out who they would be spending their days with.

Nick was lucky since his name began with a W which meant he was at the far end of the board, only a paw full of mammals were at this end of the board.

"Those of you who don't have last names," the moose announced. Nick glanced over and stifled a laugh, several painted dog's had gathered around the moose, all of them looking somewhat worried. "We put you on a different list so just come to me and I'll tell you which group you are in."

Unlike the rest of the campers, the painted dogs formed an orderly line and waited their turn.

Nick tilted his head slightly when he noticed a porcupine fall into line behind Copper.

"That's Alley," Trisha explained as she followed Nick towards the far end of the board. "She goes to our school, was adopted by a painted dog family."

"Alley?" Nick asked as he tilted his head.

"Yeah, weird right?" Trisha said as she scanned the board for her name. "Especially since they live on a street and not an Alley."

Nick was about to point out how else it may be considered odd but had finally found his name on the list.

"Group 4," Nick said aloud.

"Uh oh…" Trisha said, her ears drooping.

"What?" Nick asked as he looked down at his friend whose bright blue eyes seemed to have some worry in them.

"Group 2…," Trisha said softly.

They weren't in the same group…

For some odd reason, this actually made Nick a little upset. He had just assumed they would all be in the same group, that may be one of their parents had requested it like the Spring Science Camp.

"Group 5!" Sarah announced as she scurried over and stood between Trisha and Nick, bouncing up and down. "Judy and I are group 5 with you right?"

Nick looked down at the adorable painted bunny and shook his head, the doe froze and her ears drooped.

"What? Why?" Sarah asked, her smile turning into a frown.

There was some commotion over at the painted dog line and the gang looked over to see a rather angry looking Delta waving his paws about.

"What do you mean we are in different groups?!" The painted pup started to shout.

"Listen here pup, calm down, this is about meeting new mammals and learning how to-" The moose tried to explain.

"I am his translator!" Delta shouted as he waved his arms over at a nervous-looking Atom.

"We are aware he uses paw language which," The moose began, looking somewhat annoyed that he had to explain this to one of his campers. "We have a counselor who understands it and will be helping him out."

"Sir that may not be-" Emily began, having walked up to Atom's side, grabbing one of his paws and giving it a squeeze.

"Groups! Now!" The moose snapped before returning to giving out assignments.

Everyone looked at one another, to say the gang looked defeated was a bit of an understatement.

They all slowly trudged to the different flags, it was only then that they could see what damage had been done.

Judy and Sarah were together in a group that seemed to be filled with all larger mammals. The next smallest sized mammal to them was Alley the porcupine who looked equally shocked at how she was surrounded by all the larger kits.

Copper and Delta were in a group that seemed primarily composed of bunnies from BunnyBurrow.

At the sight of the painted dogs arriving all the bunnies suddenly shifted so they were on the other side of their gazelle counselor.

Much to Nick's relief, he noticed that Emily was walking with Atom, still holding his paw and comforting him. The two arrived at their own flag where a female pig suddenly bounded up to them.

"Well here there Adam! Its super swell to meet ya!" The pig was bright-eyed and rather flamboyant with their movements which caused Atom's eyes to go wide as he simply stood in shock.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Emily began. "Its actually Atom."

"Atom?" the pig asked, her smile never faltering. "Well gosh, golly that is a bit of an odd name. My name is Jessie and I am going to be your super special translator. Making sure that your voice is heard!"

Atom whimpered slightly and looked at Emily

"Come on bud," The vixen said and gave her friend a weak smile. "I will be here to try and help ok?"

The only one who seemed to be enjoying themselves was Trisha who had scurried up and stood on top of a tigress in her group. The predator looking just as confused as all the others at the doe's antics.

"Minions! Welcome to the Pumpkin Queen's army, forest division," The doe said as she raised her paws upward. "I like to think I run a fun but effective fighting force. So now who here has superpowers which we can use against my enemies?"

"Superpowers?" Another bunny asked, looking around the group.

"Yeah, sure!" Trisha exclaimed. "Like Mat over there. He has a superpower, right Mat?"

Everyone looked over at the skunk who had a shocked look on his face. Nick wasn't sure if it was from being put in the spotlight or the fact he was stuck in Trisha's group.

Nick finally arrived at his own group and put on a brave face. He was no longer the same loner he had been so long ago. Thanks to his friends he liked to think he was actually a nice kit and had started to make friends a little more easily.

"Hey I'm Nick," The young tod said as he smiled at some of the mammals nearby.

"Hey Nick," The counselor, a large male Hippo said with a smile. "Welcome to group 4. We are currently working on a name for our team. Have any ideas?"

"Why did he ask the fox?" Nick's ears shot up as he caught the whisper from somewhere in the group.

"Don't know, but keep an eye on him," Nick could feel himself falter as he began to hear the familiar slanderous words. "Mom says they can't be trusted."

As the brochure that Vivienne had shown Nick said, Camp Wewa had lots of fun activities to offer. The only problem was sometimes how things are advertised and how they end up are two different things.

-Ropes Course-

Nick hurried down a dirt path towards the next obstacle that was in front of him. His mouth was open as he panted but he couldn't help but smile. Though he was separated from his friends he knew he would see them all soon for lunch.

The young tod reached a large wooden box with a big square rope ladder leading to the top. It was easily wide enough for 4 mammals to be climbing up at once.

Nick grasped the ropes in his paw and began to climb the ropes with ease.

"That's right bucko you got this!" The Hippo counselor named Henry boomed from beside the course. "Remember campers this is about teamwork, help each other out!"

Nick heard the words just as he made it to the top of the rope ladder and managed to lift himself to the top platform. He quickly turned around and saw a small white sheep having trouble just below him.

"Hey," Nick said excitedly as he reached down. "Grab my paw!"

Nick tried to reach the young sheep who seemed to be struggling, his paw reaching for her wrist.

Before he could get a good grip though the sheep let out a startled squeal as she tried to get away from Nick's grasp, she nearly fell off the rope ladder if it weren't for Nick who managed to get a hold of her.

"Let go!" She screamed as she tried to get away from Nick, fear in her eyes.

Nick let go of the sheep and gave her a frightened look, "Are you ok?"

"Just go on your own," said a buck who made it to the top next to Nick and reached down, grabbing the sheep by the hoove and helping her.

"Yeah, we got this fox," said a boar who eyed Nick with contempt.

"But I just want to help," Nick tried to explain.

"Sure," the buck grumbled. "Go tell lies somewhere else."

-Arts and Crafts-

"Whatcha building?" Copper asked as she looked over at her cousin's current arts and crafts project. "A boat?"

"Model boat," Delta said as he inspected the jumble of wood before him. He looked over at his cousin and gave her a weak smile. "Think it should be a boat?"

"Well its made of wood, so it shouldn't sink," Copper suggested.

Right on cue part of the odd wodden object Delta had been working on fell off onto the table.

"I mean...maybe it can be a submarine?" Copper suggested.

"Think Trisha would like a submarine?" Delta asked as he raised the wooden craft only for another part to fall off.

"Oh? It's for Trisha?" Copper asked with a smirk.

Delta's eyes went wide and his ears flicked slightly.

"In that case, it should be bright orange like a pumpkin," Copper said excitedly as she looked around the crafts tables.

While most of the groups were comprised of various mammals of different shapes and sizes Copper and Delta found themselves in a group mainly made up of bunnies from BunnyBurrow.

Copper hadn't seen so many of the small mammals before in one spot so she had to stifle a laugh at the sea of ears currently pointed in the air. The painted dog spied a can of orange paint nearby between a black and brown bunny.

"Excuse me," Copper said with a smile towards the two does. "Could we borrow the orange paint, please?"

The two bunnies looked over at Copper for a moment, their eyes slowly going up the mammal's fur pattern which was composed of several different colors. The does then looked at one another and went back to their crafts.

Copper tilted her head slightly and cleared her throat, "Excuse me? Ummm….can we get the orange paint?"

The two does continued to ignore Copper.

The confused canine looked back at her cousin for a second who had an equally puzzled look on his face.

Delta looked over at another pair of bunnies and noticed how they would occasionally glance at the two painted dogs before getting back to their own projects. A can of green paint was in front of one of them which gave Delta an idea for an experiment.

"Hey buddy, can I please borrow the green?" Delta asked as he pointed at the green can of paint.

Even with manners thrown into their words the two painted dogs were being ignored which was odd. They felt they had been nothing but nice to all the mammals they had spoken so far at camp.

Delta however suddenly remembered when they had first gotten together as a group that most of the bunnies hadn't even looked at them. In fact, he couldn't remember a single bunny saying a word to him.

"Are….are we invisible?" Copper asked as she leaned against her cousin.

Delta slowly leaned forward and stared right at a bunny at a nearby table. He tried to get her attention by whistling at her but no luck.

"Maybe we are," Delta admitted. "Want to go raid the mess hall for ice cream?"

Copper giggled and shook her head, "We can't, not without Atom. Think he can turn invisible too?"

"The quads think they are invisible…" Delta and Copper heard one of the bucks nearby grumble.

"Gosh they are almost as bad as that Hopps quad," a doe whispered.

There was a crash and the craft cabin fell silent as all eyes went to Delta who had suddenly leaped up so he was standing on top of the table he had been working at. Copper felt her jaw fall open as she looked up at her cousin who was towering over all the other campers.

"Wanna say that again?" Delta growled, a fire in his eyes.

-Scavenger Hunts-

"We have already passed that rock," Sarah whispered to her older sister, tugging on the doe's arm.

"I know Sarah," Judy grumbled, an annoyed look on her face.

Judy's tone wasn't directed at her sister, oh no, Sarah had been amazing through all this. Judy had been worried the young doe would be scared the whole time surrounded by all the large and strange new campers.

The multi-colored cutie, however, had done her sister proud. She had jumped right in and introduced herself to the rest of the group and had even seemed to be making some friends with the other members of their team.

That all changed however when the scavenger hunt started.

They had been given a list of clues and a map to follow that would lead them all over a series of hiking trails not far from camp.

There were tons of beautiful landmarks and vistas. All of which the gang had managed to enjoy at least two to three times over because they were…

"We are not lost," growled a wolf who had been put in charge of the map.

"Then why haven't we found anything yet?" Asked a large brown bear with a lovely pink bow on one of her ears.

"Judy," Sarah whispered as she tugged at Judy's arm once more.

"What's up Sarah?" Judy asked and looked down at her younger sibling.

Sarah was pointing towards a pile of old mining tracks that had been covered with grass and pine needles, the area having become very overgrown.

Judy suddenly remembered one of the clues had to deal with mining equipment, Sarah had just found a clue!

"Hey!" Judy piped up as the rest of the older kits continued to argue.

"One sec," the wolf said as he flipped the map over, again and again, trying to find the right side up.

"Hello?" Judy asked as she put her paws on her hips and began to stomp her foot.

"Yeah! Hello?" Sarah mimicked as she struck the same pose as Judy, only looking less intimidating as she continued to smile happily.

"Oh my gosh! Bunnies be quiet, if we need someone to dig for a carrot we will ask you," A badger groaned as they joined in trying to figure out where they were.

Judy simply rolled her eyes and grabbed Sarah by the paw, "Come on sis, let's let them stay lost, bet we can make it back before the lunch bell."

"Can I sit with Atom this time?" Sarah asked sweetly. "I wanna ask how his camp stuff has been going."

"Sure sis," Judy said with a smile as she wiggled her nose at her sister. She then looked back over her shoulder. "We are heading back to the mess hall for food. Have fun staying lost."

"We are not lost!" The wolf barked again.

"We shouldn't split up this far from camp," someone piped up.

"We aren't far from camp," Judy said smugly as she pointed ahead, just over a steady hill one of the camp flags blew in the wind."

"Wait...we are back by the camp again?!" The bear groaned in defeat.

"No, we can't be," The wolf said in disbelief.

"Should have made a right at the rock that looked like an eagle," Sarah suggested to Judy.

"I agree," Judy said as she gave her sisters paw a gentle squeeze.

-Canoeing-

Camp Wewa sat right on the edge of a large freshwater lake which made it an ideal place for water activities such as swimming and canoeing.

There was always a lifeguard on duty. A lovely looking black wolf in a red swimsuit stood on top of a white painted wooden seat.

She had a pair of sunglasses on and was chewing on some gum. While she gave off a casual vibe she was actually actively watching all the campers currently paddling along in a series of small canoes of all sorts of sizes.

"Please don't let the elephant fall in," she mumbled to herself with a bit of a smirk as she spotted an elephant sitting in a very strained looking boat. The rear was close to the water while the front of the canoe sat high in the air, a scared-looking koala looked as if she was regretting her boating partner.

As she took in a deep breath the vigilant wolf glanced over at the shore where several campers were preparing other boats to go into the water.

One of them caught her eye though. A cute painted dog pup with light fur was waving his arms about as he pointed at a canoe and then the water.

"What are you up to cutie?" The wolf asked with a chuckle as she leaned forward and tried to figure out what was going on at the shore.

"Adam! Honey calm down," Jessie exclaimed as she tried to calm Atom down.

"Its Atom," Emily snapped as she looked over at the pig that had been nothing but a burden when it came to trying to translate for Atom. The young vixen had almost had it with her.

Atom let out a whimper and began to make more odd paw gestures as he frantically pointed at a canoe nearby. He then made several different signals that neither of the ladies before him could understand.

"Atom I am so sorry I don't know what is wrong," Emily said as she raised a paw. "Maybe try to act it out?"

"Now that is just silly," Jessie said with a snort as she came over and stood between Atom and Emily. "Now sweetie I need you to calm down and get into the boat ok? You are going to miss out on so much fun if you don't."

Atom rolled his eyes and walked over to the boat. Everyone thought that was the end of it but Atom stopped and began to point at the boat and make more paw gestures.

"Act it out," Emily suggested as Jessie tried to say how silly this all was.

Atom wagged his tail and thought for a moment. He then took a few steps forward away from the boat.

He made a circle with his digits and looked through the hole he had made right at Emily.

"Zero?" Jessie suggested.

"See-through?" Emily suggested. Atom shook his head and looked through once more. "Oh wait! Hole!"

Atom snorted happily and wiggled in place as he prepared to act out the next word.

Behind him, a jackal and wolf began to fiddle with the canoe. Chatting with one another excitedly as they began to push the canoe down the shore and towards the water.

Atom acted like he was knocking on a door and opened it, stepping inside his invisible home.

"Knock knock?" Jessie asked, now getting into the little game of charades. Several other campers began to gather around and watch the spectacle play out.

Atom shook his head and repeated the movements, this time exaggerating his movements when he opened the door.

"Door?" Someone suggested.

Atom shook his head.

"Come in?" Emily asked. Atom nearly jumped up into the air with excitement but then held his paws up and brought them together. Making it look like he wanted the sentence shortened.

"In?" Emily asked hesitantly but she had a feeling she was right with how Atom winked at her.

The painted then dog held his paw steady in front of his chest. He began to wiggle his arm and made his paw look like it was going up and down like it was a-

"Boat?" Emily asked.

Atom hurried over and wrapped his arms around Emily's waist and lifted her up, giving her a big hug.

"Hole in boat," Jessie said with a smile. "Well, that was a fun game."

Emily's eyes went wide as she heard the whole sentence spoken, "Hole in boat?!"

Everyone gathered on the shore looked over at the canoe Atom had been pointing at. The wolf and jackal pair had managed to get it into the water, that's when the trouble started.

The jackal let out a yelp and began to scramble back towards the wolf. The smaller canine leaped into the wolf's arms and held on for dear life as the canoe began to sink into the water.

"Help!" The young wolf shouted and began to wave their free arm.

There was a blast from a whistle at the lifeguard stand and everyone hurried over to the edge of the shore and watched as the lifeguard grabbed her floatation equipment and dove into the water.

In the end, the canoe actually didn't sink beneath the water, mainly because they were only a few feet from shore and still in the shallows. The wolf managed to stand up and carry their frightened friend out of the water, the lifeguard walking beside them and making sure everyone was alright.

"Did I mention how I can't really swim?" Emily asked nervously as she looked at Atom who had a worried look on her face. "You saved me from a sinking canoe." Emily leaned close to Atom, pressing her lips to his painted cheek.

As the lifeguard finished making sure that the two campers from the canoe were ok she heard a frightened squeal from the crowd. She looked up and saw one of the camp counselors trying to get her attention.

"We need help over here!" Jessie screamed.

The wolf hurried through the crowd and came upon an odd scene.

An embarrassed looking vixen had her paws to her mouth as she looked at a young painted dog pup currently passed out on the soft ground.

"What happened?" The wolf asked as she got on her knees next to Atom and began to inspect the shocked looking pup.

"He just seized up," Emily said, sounding mortified. "I kissed his cheek and he just...well he...oh my gosh did I kill my friend?"

The she-wolf glanced up at Emily and tried to hold back a laugh as she looked down at Atom, his tail twitching slightly.

-...Trisha…-

Two mammals were sitting in front of head counselor Flowers. The cheetah had her strong arms crossed as her bright yellow eyes stared directly into a pair of bright blue ones. Try as she might the cheetah just couldn't get a rise out of the small brown bunny sitting in one of the chairs.

"Explain," Flowers said firmly, hiding the growl that she wanted to throw towards the young kit, but she had to restrain herself. She wasn't in the special forces anymore after all.

"Explain?" Trisha asked as one of her ears lowered slightly, the other staying up. "What did you hear?"

Flower's eyes widened as she waved a paw at the other young mammal sitting next to Trisha.

The brown bunny looked over at her friend Mat, the skunk, however, didn't exactly look like himself. A series of different color paw prints were spread over his fur. A heart had been drawn on one of his cheeks, his tail looked like it had been dipped in some kind of tye-dye mix.

"Oh, that?" Trisha asked with a chuckle, letting out a relieved sigh which caused Conselour Flowers to wonder what else the trouble maker had been up to. "Well, you see the art counselor said to use the world as our art studio so I just thought."

"I think she meant as inspiration," Flowers groaned as she put a paw to her muzzle and let out an annoyed sigh. "Look at your poor fellow camper."

Trisha looked Mat up and down and gave her friend a weak smile, "Sorry Mat."

"Well that's a start-" Flowers began before Trisha continued.

"I really thought the tye-dye would come out brighter," Trisha said as she eyed the skunks tail.

Mat raised his tail up slightly and inspected it, "Its ok Trisha. I know you tried. I like the green and blue mixed together though."

Flower's pupils dilated at this point, "You aren't mad?"

Mat lowered his head slightly as he looked at Trisha, "Are you mad at me?"

Trisha waved her paws about, "Of course not Mat. We will just have to try a lighter mix next time. But first, you promised to do my ears."

Flowers couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Not what I meant! I meant Mat should be mad at you."

Mat and looked at the strong cheetah sitting behind the desk, both of the confused kits tilted their heads as they stared at the large predator.

"I should?" Mat asked.

"Yeah what gives lady?"

"Counselor Flowers!" The cheetah barked.

"Lady Conselour Flowers," Trisha corrected herself before her eyes went wide. "Oh my gosh! Are you a princess?"

"Out!" Flowers barked as she pointed towards the wooden door to her office.

"Yes m' lady," Trisha said as she stood up in her seat and bowed.

Mat looked a little confused at first but mimicked Trisha before he hopped off his chair and waddled towards the door. Trisha hurried and grabbed the skunk by the paw and skipped out.

Once the two smaller mammals had left Flowers let out a long sigh. She looked at a small black telephone that sat on her desk, a binder with all the camper's family phone numbers sitting next to it.

"Must follow procedure," Flowers grumbled to herself as she opened the binder and flipped through the pages.

She found the number she was looking for and dialed on the old rotary phone. On the second ring, a sweet voice answered.

"Butler's residence. This is Debs," The voice said excitedly.

"Mrs. Butler, this is Lady- I mean this is Counselor Flowers from Camp Wewa."

"Oh hello love," Debs answered, sounding somewhat hesitant. "What can I do for you? How is my little Mat?"

"Well about that," Flowers said as she looked over at the now-vacant seats, noticing how some of the paint on Mat hadn't exactly been dry and had come off where he sat. "Another camper...well they...I am trying to figure out how to say this."

"Is this camper a certain brown bunny?" Debs asked with a chuckle.

"Yes they are ma'am," Flowers said quickly. "So this young bunny has had trouble with your son in the past?"

"Trouble?" Debs asked, sounding confused. "Oh goodness no! We love that little trouble maker. She is absolutely wonderful for our little skunk."

"Well you should know she put paint on his fur," Flowers said hesitantly. "I want to assure you however that its all water-based and we will, of course, get it out before-"

The laughter that filled the other end of the line caused Flowers to falter.

"Oh, that is brilliant!" Debs exclaimed over the phone. "Hold on dear I have to tell my husband."

There was a pause in the conversation as Debs explained what had happened. Moments later a deep voice said something Flowers couldn't quite understand, it was quickly followed by booming laughter.

"Sorry about that Counselor Flowers," Debs said as she returned to the phone.

"Why aren't you mad?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean….you aren't mad?" Flowers quickly corrected.

"Well…" Debs paused as she tried to think of a way to explain. "My sweet Mat has trouble making friends you see. He is so very shy but such a sweet young kit. Heaven knows we try and get him to meet kits his age and go outside. Some little ones have trouble though you see. That was until Trisha came along."

Flowers sat back in her chair and listened to Mat's mother explain.

"One day he came home from one of his bike rides and he had the biggest smile on his face. Took us forever to get it out of him. He is so shy even with us sometimes. Well, this little brown bunny had just, pardon the pun, hopped into his life. It snowballed from there. Next thing we know he hurries home from school and is out the door. Meeting with Atom, or Delta, or Jeffery, sometimes Emily, oh and that sweet Hannah doe. All of them introduced to our Mat by the same bunny you just called me about."

"So you aren't mad she tie-dyed your son's tail?"

"Tie-dyed?!" Debs asked before letting out a snort as the laughter started a new. "Dave listen to this. Trisha tye-dyed Matty's tail."

"I nearly spat out my tea love! You can't tell me these things mid-sip!" Came a playful shout from somewhere in the background.

"You see dear," Debs said as she returned to the call. "I spoke to the Rose family about this ages ago. Turns out that's what Trisha does. She saw our sweet little Mat sitting all alone and decided to adopt him as her friend. She loves meeting new mammals and treating them like her best friend from the get-go. Sure she is a pawful, trust me I know. She is, however, one of the best things to have happened to our Mat. So if she wants to paint on him you let her. If she wants to take him on an adventure, let her. We all here learned something here in Manta Bay a long time ago."

"And what is that?" Flowers asked, trying not to smile.

"Let the Pumpkin Queen do what she wants. It's just easier that way"

At the end of the day, a dinner bell rang across the camp, signaling it was time for the campers to gather in the mess hall for supper.

All the campers looked a little tired but for the most part, excited as they gathered in the large hall for food.

The gang was finally reunited after their long day.

"Hole in boat?!" Delta exclaimed from his end of the table as Atom signed a series of signals to his friend.

"Yeah," Emily said as she put some mac'n'cheese on her plate, "Good thing Atom stopped us from using that canoe because I can't swim too well."

"Good thing," Delta said as he looked over at the vixen, a look of realization coming over his face. "Wait! So that was you two?!"

Emily froze and looked at the now smug painted dog sitting next to her as Atom suddenly looked at the ceiling, his ears drooping.

"Was what us two?"

"Everyone is talking about it!" Delta exclaimed as he held his sides from laughter. "Some vixen kissed a painted dog. Oh my gosh. This is awesome."

If Delta had his eyes open then he probably would have seen the mac and cheese flying towards him. Instead, he found himself with a big old glob of it smacking him on the side of the face.

Sarah had been scooped up at Copper who was being especially affectionate towards the small bunny. Letting Sarah sit on her lap and occasionally nuzzling her chin between the doe's ears.

"Hehehe, that tickles," Sarah cooed as she wiggled in her painted friend's lap.

"Sorry Moon Princess," Copper whispered as she gave Sarah a squeeze.

 _How could they treat her like that? She is so sweet._

"You want some?" Sarah asked as she lifted up a half-eaten carrot. "I don't mind sharing."

Copper held back the tears and simply nodded as she opened her mouth. Sarah raised the carrot for Copper to nibble on and laughed.

 _I am going to throw all your bullies in the lake this week._

Sarah set the carrot back down and looked at one of Copper's arms which was wrapped around the bunny's waist. She ran a small over the pattern and smiled.

"Your fur is so fun," Sarah said as she traced along the borders.

"Yours too Princess Sarah."

Sarah grinned and wiggled once more as her ears went up so they were on either side of Copper's muzzle.

Trisha was watching her two painted friends and grinned happily when Sarah and her locked eyes. Sarah waved a paw at Trisha who wiggled her nose.

The brown bunny's ears shot up as she overheard a conversation coming from the table right behind her.

"Oh my gosh your tail is so cool Mat," A female's voice said excitedly.

"Seriously dude that is neat."

"Thanks," Mat said sheepishly.

"How did you do it?"

"My friend Trisha did actually? She showed me how."

"So you could do it for me too right?"

Trisha glanced over her shoulder and saw several mammals gathered around the normally timid Mat who actually looked rather pleased at that moment.

Most of the table was circled around the skunk. A sheep ran a hoove through the multi-colored patterns.

"Hannah!" said a bunny nervously.

"Oh gosh. Sorry Mat got lost in the colors."

"Its ok," Mat said as he looked over, his green eyes meeting Trisha's blues. "I don't mind."

Trisha grinned and gave her friend a wink before turning back to her plate. She let out a pleased sigh as she watched her friends catching up and munching on their dinner. She then glanced at the two vacant seats next to her and let out a soft cooing noise as she wiggled in place, knowing full well where Nick and Judy were.

Outside of the mess hall, a full moon was slowly rising into the star-speckled skies.

The whole scene was rather serene.

"Forgot how beautiful it was out here," Mary said as she helped Ed along the side of the mess hall.

"Oh yeah dude," Ed said with a chuckle. "Why do you think I stay out here?"

"Because your sister was tired of the rock music coming from your room?"

Ed let out a laugh and patted Mary on the arm gently as she helped him, "Your mother just doesn't appreciate the classics is all."

Mary suddenly froze as she spotted something sitting ahead of them on the steps.

Ed stopped and looked at Mary in a concerned manner before he looked in the direction of her gaze. He suddenly stood up straighter and began to waddle to the side into the shadows, leading Mary to do the same.

The two adults looked ahead, both of them with knowing smiles as they watched a rather adorable scene play out.

Sitting on the steps nearby were two small mammals. A young fox tod and a bunny doe. The fox had his arm around the small bunny who was nuzzling her head against the fox.

"Oh my gosh," Mary mouthed as she looked at Ed and tried to contain a squeak of excitement.

"Cute dudes," Ed mouthed back.

"Can we do this every night?" The small bunny asked softly as she closed her eyes and buried her face into the fox's shoulder.

"Of course Officer Hopps."

"Mmmmm, missed you, Ranger Scout Wilde," Judy said sweetly as the tip of one of her ears brushed against Nick's cheek.

"Missed you too," Nick replied. "Wish we were in the same group…"

"Me too," Judy replied with a sigh. "Why did they have to split all of us up?"

"Don't know," Nick grumbled as he rubbed Judy's arm with his paw. "It would be fun if we could be all together."

"Sarah was asking about you today," Judy said with a chuckle. "Think she wanted to spend time with her foxy brother."

"Is that what she calls me?"

"That's what Trisha calls you so, well you know."

"What Trisha does."

"Sarah follows," Judy said with a smile.

"Heard Copper and Delta got into a bit of a fight with some of your fellow bunnies from the Burrows," Nick said with a sigh.

"Yeah, Copper said they were ignoring them because they had fur like Sarahs so Delta got mad."

"Because they ignored him?"

"Because they ignore Sarah," Judy corrected.

"Bet Emily wishes everyone would ignore Atom and her," Nick said playfully.

Judy giggled as she looked up at Nick, "Last I checked you did the same thing on Halloween."

Nick's tail flicked slightly and he suddenly looked skyward.

"That's what I thought," Judy said as she nuzzled into Nick once more.

"Should we go back inside and get some dinner?" Nick asked as he leaned against Judy.

"Not yet," Judy whispered as she closed her eyes. "I don't know when I get to see you next. So can we just sit?"

"You got it, Officer Hopps."

"Thanks, Ranger Wilde."

* * *

 **Hey there Campers!**

 **So first off I am so sorry this one took so long. I just moved into a new place and guess what? No internet for a whole month. Was not happy about that.**

 **We are all settled in now though and finally have internet.**

 **I had originally hoped to keep this as a 2 parter but darn it the words escaped me again so looks like we have a part 3 coming soon.**

 **Hope you are all enjoying the adventures at Summer Camp...even though summer is kinda over .**

 **Cya in Manta Bay.**

 **-Blue**


	12. Camp WeWa Part 3

-Camp Wewa Part 3-

"What trouble did you get us into now?" Emily mumbled as she tried to keep a smile on her muzzle, hiding the obvious fact she was rather nervous.

All of them were, well except Trisha, the bunny was standing casually in the grass rolling on the balls of her large feet as she kept her paws behind her back.

The reason for everyone's hesitation had started right after breakfast in the main mess hall. Head counselor Flowers had made an announcement that certain campers were to wait in the field outside of the mess hall while the other groups headed out for the day's activities.

Wouldn't you know it, every name on the list was sitting at the same table.

"I didn't do anything today," Trisha shot back at Emily as she tilted her head and looked up at the vixen.

"Today?" Emily growled, "What about yesterday?!"

"Well unless they found my secret hiding spot already then I don't think they will have enough evidence to convict us," Trisha answered as she looked up at Counselor Flowers who was busy speaking with another member of the camp's staff.

"We aren't even in the same groups," Nick pointed out. "Why are we in the line up because of Trisha?"

The brown bunny snorted and looked at the fox, given him a playfully angry look.

"You should know by now Nick," Delta began as he looked straight ahead, "We are all guilty by association."

A small pinecone whizzed by the painted dog's head causing him to nearly jump backward.

"Oh so close," Judy said with a giggle.

"Need to practice more," Trisha mumbled as she rolled one of her arms, "I am getting rusty."

"Is this what it's like to be tall?"

Everyone stopped their conversation for a moment to look over at Sarah who was currently sitting on Copper's shoulders, the doe's ears high above her head as she scanned the field.

"How's the weather?" Delta asked with a smile.

"Fuzzy," Sarah said as she ran a paw over Copper's ears, causing the painted dog's tail to sway.

Everyone shared a laugh at the doe's antics, her small tail flicking at the attention.

Delta looked from Sarah over to Atom who was standing on the other side of his cousin Copper. His eyelids drooped as he noticed Atom wiggling in place as he munched on a waffle.

"Didn't you eat enough already?" Delta asked which caught Atom's attention.

The lighter painted dog looked over at his friend with his bright yellow eyes. He took a moment to swallow what he had in his mouth before sticking out his tongue.

"Alright Campers," Flowers said as she finished her conversation with her fellow staff member and turned to look at the ragtag group she had assembled. Her eyes went to Atom who was still munching on the waffle he had snuck out from the mess hall. She raised her brow at the young pup who slowly stopped munching on the breakfast item and held it up towards the cheetah, wiggling the waffle slightly. "I am….good, thanks though."

Everyone was a little taken aback by the cheetah's comments, having fully expected the strict feline to berate Atom for sneaking out food or some other manner of rule-breaking.

"I asked you all here because it has been decided to make another group," Flower's explained as she looked down the line.

A series of bright smiles broke out in the group. The gang looked up and down the line at one another, tails wagging, ears raising, Atom munching on his stolen breakfast food.

"Your group will have a special camp counselor who will be here in a few minutes," Flowers continued. Try as she might she couldn't help but let her own tail sway, happy to see so many smiling faces.

 _They are kind of adorable when they are young._

Trisha cleared her throat which caught the cheetah's attention. The doe bowed and lowered her head.

"Thank you, M'Lady."

"I am not a princess," Flowers grumbled.

"Why not?" Sarah asked from atop Copper's shoulders. "You are so pretty like one."

 _Oh my gosh, why is she so adorable?!_

"Th...thank you camper," Flower's said, somewhat flustered at the sweet comment.

Sarah beamed at the cheetah and wiggled on top of Copper who smiled up at their head counselor.

Some movement behind the group caught everyone's attention much to the relief of counselor Flowers who was worried her tough facade was about to crack.

Ed was making his way across the grassy field, a broad grin on his face. The yak looked like a completely different mammal today. Though he had a slight limp he still had a spry essence about him. A broad smile was on his face as he stopped in front of the campers.

"What up my little dudes?" the yak asked as he stretched out his arms.

"Dude!" the gang responded with smiling faces.

"Campers meet your group leader," Flower's explained.

Everyone was in disbelieve as they looked from the cheetah to the mellow looking yak.

"Perks of owning the camp," Ed said as he gave the gang a wink. "So who is ready to cause some trouble."

Everyone looked over at Trisha whose arm shot right up into the air, the doe hopping on her large feet as she let out a laugh.

The day was kind of like a fun-filled blur to the members of team Pumpkin Army.

Ed made sure that they all caught up with the different activities that had been promised in the brochure along with a few fun additions.

-Ropes course-

Nick and Emily were neck-n-neck, the cousins enjoying a friendly competition as they shot down the ropes course towards the next obstacle.

"The last one loses dessert at dinner," Nick said with a pant.

"You're on cuz," Emily said as she looked straight ahead, her eyes narrowing.

A gray blur shot between them which caused the foxes to nearly stumble and fall into the sand beneath their paws. Nick watched as Judy darted past and reached the rope ladder before them. She looked over her shoulder at Nick and gave him a wink as she grabbed the rope ladder and hopped up towards the top.

"Wow," Emily let out.

"Right?" Nick responded.

"So do I get both your deserts if I win?" Judy asked as she looked down at the foxes from the top of the first obstacle.

"Naw," Emily said as she waved a paw. "You and I can just split Nick's."

"Hey!" Nick shot back as he looked at his cousin, taking a moment to catch his breath at the bottom of the rope ladder. "How come I lose desert?"

"Because you are a stinky tod," Emily said as she stuck out her tongue.

Some laughter behind them caught their attention and they turned to see Sarah dashing towards them, her mouth open in a broad smile.

"Run! Atom had too much sugar!" Sarah squealed with laughter as she reached the ladder and grabbed the rope, trying to scurry up towards Judy who bent down to help her sibling.

"Too much sugar?" Nick asked as he looked at Emily whose eyes went wide, the young vixen grabbed onto another part of the wide rope ladder and hurried up.

Nick was a little confused at first and turned to try and find Atom.

He saw Delta and Copper running off away from the ropes course towards Ed who looked like he was about to fall over from laughter. The old Yak holding his side as he took a seat and watched.

Nick spotted Atom, the only problem was Atom had also spotted Nick. The light-colored painted pup opened his arms and began to run at Nick, a look of pure happiness on his face as he hurried over.

Trisha whizzed by Nick as she frantically scrambled up the ropes course.

"So what he gives extra hugs or something?" Nick asked as he looked up at his cousin.

"That and he is still covered in sticky syrup from breakfast," Emily pointed out.

"So what...wait...sticky?"

There was a loud sneeze behind Nick as Atom hurried over.

"Yeah, and with his lack of personal space you are about to get sticky too," Trisha said as she looked over her shoulder at Nick who was still at the bottom of the rope ladder.

"It's so gross!" Copper shouted as she ran up and hid behind Ed who finally managed to catch his breath.

"Run foxy dude!" The owner of the camp yelled.

Nick suddenly realized he should have spent more time climbing and less time looking around. The young tod grabbed onto the rope ladder and hurried up towards the girls who were all calling his name.

A loud sneeze behind Nick told him Atom was close.

Ed watched from atop the grass-covered hill nearby as Copper and Delta plopped down on either side of him.

"So what do we say?" Ed began as he looked at Delta and then over at Copper, both painted pups looking up at the older mammal with tails wagging. "My money is on him catching the tie-dye bunny first."

"Tie-dye?" Delta asked as he tilted his head.

"Yeah dude," Ed said as he pointed over at Sarah who hopped off the raised platform she had been using as a refuge to hurry to another hiding spot. "The cute one with the radical colors on her fur."

"Naw," Came Copper who caught Delta and Ed's attention. "Its gonna be Trisha. She gets too confident and that's where she will slip up."

"Well I am gonna bet its Nick," Delta said as he looked back at the ropes course and watched as his friends darted about, trying to hide from the sugar-crazed Atom and his sticky hugs.

"Ok so its a bet," Ed said as he nodded his head.

"What do we win if we are right?" Copper asked excitedly.

"Cookies for breakfast sound good?" Ed asked, knowing full well how tempting that offer would be to the pair of young mammals.

"Yes!" Delta and Copper said in unison and went back to watching the ropes course intently.

Atom hurried around, arms open wide as she tried to scoop up one of his friends. At one point Judy had been cornered but used her strong legs to bounce up and over the painted dog who watched in surprise at the bunny flying over his head.

Emily almost got her tail pulled but managed to weave away from Atom before darting up a ladder.

Sarah was almost caught, the bunny squeaking with laughter as she tried to scramble away from Atom whose tail was wagging as he hurried after the small bunny.

A sharp whistle from nearby distracted Atom who looked to see Trisha give a wave. The brown bunny managing to distract the sugar high canine long enough for Sarah to find a new hiding spot.

Atom spun around in circles a few times, looking around at all his friends who had managed to find hiding spots on top of various wooden structures around the ropes course. He let out a soft whimper as his head drooped.

"Oh no! Not falling for that again," Trisha shouted from on top of a series of boxes where she and Sarah had taken refuge.

Atom snapped his digits and was instantly back to his normal self, realizing his plan wasn't going to work.

"Hey who is that?" Copper asked as she spotted a lovely whitetail deer slowly walking onto the ropes course.

"Oh that's Mary," Ed explained. "She is my niece."

Both Copper and Delta looked at one another and then to Ed, the confusion on their faces was obvious.

"Long story dudes," Ed explained. "But she is sweet as can be and helps me around the camp."

"She is pretty," Copper said sweetly.

"I'll say," Delta mumbled.

"Ohhhh! I am telling Trisha!" Copper shot back.

"Wait, Trisha?" Ed asked as he looked at down at the embarrassed looking pup next to him. "The brown one?"

"Shut up," Delta grumbled.

"Dude that's awesome!" Ed exclaimed.

Their conversation was interrupted by Mary who was looking around the ropes course, "Ed?"

"Up here Mary," Ed shouted as he waved a hoove over at Mary who tilted her head slightly.

"What are you doing all the way up there for? Where is the rest of your group?"

Ed simply pointed towards the course.

Mary looked over as a light-colored painted dog came running around a corner, his bright yellow eyes zeroing in on Mary.

"Oh! Well hey, there big guy," Mary cooed sweetly as she put her hooves on her knees and smiled at the young pup.

Atom wiggled in place for a moment as he stared at Mary.

Up on the hill, three mammals watched intently.

"Should we warn her?" Delta asked.

"Oh no," Ed chuckled. "Don't want to ruin the fun."

Atom broke out in a sprint, his arms opened wide as his tongue hung out the side of his open-mouthed grin.

"Aww," Mary cooed as she opened her own arms. "You want a hug cutie?"

"Its almost cruel," Copper mumbled from her spot on the hill.

"Poor Mary," Delta added.

"This is gonna be-" Ed began as he watched Atom leap into the air and dive towards Mary whose eyes went wide.

"OH MY GOSH!" The white-tailed doe shouted as Atom made contact with her. "WHY ARE YOU SO STICKY?!"

-Arts and crafts-

" _Paw paints, paw paints, paw paints,"_ Sarah sang quietly to herself as she put one of her paws into a jar of bright blue paint and then onto the large piece of paper spread out in front of her.

"She does know there are brushes right?" Ed asked in a whisper to Mary who was trying to resist the urge to go crazy from all the adorableness she was witnessing.

Sarah tried to reach a little too far on the large piece of paper and lost her balance, her face falling onto one of the wet spots of paint. The doe sat up and looked around, a smear of blue paint on her cheek.

"You ok Sarah?" Mary asked as she hurried over.

"Now she really is a painted bunny," Trisha said happily from her end of the table.

"Painted bunny!" Sarah echoed as she raised her paws in the air, little flecks of blue paint landing on Mary who simply giggled and grabbed a towel nearby to help clean up.

"Think your Sarah is having fun," Nick said as he looked over at the bunny who was currently being toweled off by an attentive Mary.

"She doesn't get to be like this when we are at home very often," Judy said as she smiled over at her sister and then back at Nick.

"Still?" The fox tod asked with a slight sadness.

"Well, she doesn't have a painted protector like you," Judy said as she scrunched her nose and nodded over at Copper who was busy trying to blue some popsicle sticks together. An annoyed looking Atom sitting with his arms crossed nearby, having just learned that there wasn't any actual popsicles to be had.

"We look out for one another," Nick admitted.

"Its good to have back up," Judy said absentmindedly as she tried to tie a knot in the necklace she was making.

"That it is."

"Its also good to have someone to talk to," Judy continued.

"Yeah."

"Especially about me," Judy said as the smallest of smirks graced her lips.

Nick nearly dropped the can of yellow paint he had been reaching for.

"Wait what?"

"Nothing," Judy said as she glanced over at Nick, her smirk turning into a smug grin.

"What did she tell you?" Nick asked, his eyelids drooping.

"Stuff," Judy said as she wiggled in place.

Nick looked over at Copper who took a moment to glance over at the fox, "What?"

"What did you tell Judy?!"

"Nothing," Copper said with a smugness that could rival Judy's.

"Lies!"

"She said how you want to hold Judy's paw!" Sarah shouted from the other end of the large table.

Nick had suddenly realized what he had done as the whole cabin fell silent, all eyes going to Sarah and then slowly to Nick who suddenly wished he could turn invisible.

"Ohhhhh!" Delta and Trisha said in unison.

"Look who is talking Thumper," Emily shot at Trisha whose bright blue eyes went wide as she glared at the vixen whose tail swished.

"Big talk coming from the canoe kisser," Delta said with a wicked grin.

If Emily's fur hadn't already been a russet color they would have all seen the young vixen blushing furiously.

Delta stuck out his tongue, only to close his eyes as Emily used a paintbrush to flick some paint towards the smug-looking canine.

"Uh oh," Mary said as she looked around the room and realized just how many paint jars they had left on the table.

"I'll be outside," Ed said as he slowly trotted towards the door.

"Now Campers," Mary said slowly as she raised her hooves, "Let's remember not to make a big mess."

"Right!" Trisha said as she hopped up onto the table and grabbed a paintbrush. "Avoid the walls and ceiling but everyone is fair game!"

"I didn't say-" Mary began but it was too late. The gang suddenly dove for whatever paintbrush and paint they could find, the arts and crafts cabin turning into a kind of artistic warzone.

Trisha ran across the table, holding her paintbrushes out, managing to get Emily and Nick before the foxes could react.

Nick turned to Judy, a streak of green paint on one of his ears only to watch as the gray bunny reached over and grabbed a paintbrush covered in blue paint. The doe ran it across the side of Nick's face before hurrying away, laughing as Nick chased after her.

Mary looked around in pure astonishment as to what she was seeing.

Sarah was chasing after Copper, the doe's paws covered in blue paint, one of the bunny's ears having been painted green.

Delta and Trisha were tossing paint at one another, the doe hopping from cover on occasion before being scooped up by Delta who began to put orange paw prints on her cheeks.

Judy and Nick were swords fighting with paintbrushes in the corner, Nick covered in purple streaks, the gray bunny, however, seemed to have kept her fur relatively clean much to the annoyance of a certain fox.

Mary took a deep breath and looked over at Atom who was watching the chaos ensue around him, a popsicle stick sticking out of the side of his mouth. The deer suddenly had a rather evil thought as she glanced over at the table still filled with paint jars. She scooped up a small can that was filled with a bright pink paint.

"Oh Atom," Mary cooed which caused the young pup's ears to twitch as he glanced over at the approaching doe.

Atom's tail began to swish back and forth and he slowly opened his arms, only to stop when he spotted the jar in Mary's grasp. His yellow eyes looked at the can and then up at Mary, a sense of pleading in his gaze.

"Come here Sticky!" Mary laughed as she rushed over to Atom who suddenly darted in the other direction.

Outside out the arts and crafts cabin, Ed was busy checking out some clouds that were passing by, he was so enraptured with the one that looked like a fish he hadn't heard a certain cheetah trotting up beside him.

"Sir," Flowers said as she approached which startled Ed slightly.

"Oh dude!" Ed said as he grabbed his chest.

"Oh gosh," the feline said as she hurried over and put a large paw on Ed's shoulder. "I am so sorry sir I didn't mean to."

"Naw your good Mel," Ed said as he caught his breath. "Just got lost in the clouds ya know."

Flowers looked around and became somewhat worried at the lack of campers currently accompanying Ed.

"Sir, where is your group?" The cheetah asked as she glanced back at the yak.

There was a loud noise behind the two and they both turned to see the door to the arts and crafts shed suddenly burst open. Atom came rushing out, covered in pink paint splotches, a few of them shaped like hearts.

Mary came running out after the painted dog, a smile on her face, "Oh no you don't you little-"

The deer came to a halt at the sight of both Melissa and Ed staring at her. While the cheetah had a look of concern on her muzzle Ed was trying not to fall over as he laughed.

"Oh! Melissa, so nice of you to come to check in on team Pumpkin Squad."

"That's Pumpkin Army!" Trisha shouted as she poked her head out of the cabin, one of her ears had been painted bright blue while the other was orange.

Flowers took a deep breath and looked down at her leg where a pink covered Atom was trying to hide, his tail flicking back and forth as he stuck his tongue out at Mary who gave the pup an annoyed grin.

"I will leave you to it," Flowers grumbled as she tipped her heat to Ed before strolling away, Atom tried to keep pace with the cheetah but eventually his hiding spot had picked up the pace and left him at the mercy of Mary who began to chuckle evilly.

-Canoeing-

Nick and Judy sat at the edge of the dock that extended out into the lake that sat on the edge of Camp Wewa. Paw in paw they watched an odd sight play out on the water.

A canoe with what appeared to be sails and a makeshift crow's nest glided through the water. Trisha stood on the bow of the hastily put together pirate ship, laughing manically as she waved a cardboard sword about.

Sarah was holding onto the mass as she too laughed as evilly as she could which amusingly wasn't very frightening as she would occasionally giggle.

"She is such a weirdo," Nick chuckled as he watched Trisha point her sword out towards the center of the lake, claiming that there was buried treasure somewhere beyond the horizon.

"Yeah...but she is our weirdo," Judy said as she rested her head against Nick's arm.

Over the course of the camp, the fox and bunny couple had tried less and less to hide their feelings, not just towards one another but also in front of the others.

They received the occasional tease or jab from their friends. For the most part, though it was worth it if it meant they could remain paw in paw during their days at the camp.

"Oh this is gonna be good," Judy chuckled as another canoe came gliding into view.

This one was manned by Mary who was pointing a hoof towards Trisha's canoe, "Onward sailors. We have privateers to sink!"

Three painted pups in the boat saluted, Delta, Atom, and Copper having been recruited by Mary to help her chase down Trisha's ship.

"Avast me hearties!" Trisha barked as she looked over at the approaching canoe. "Prepare the canons!"

Emily and Sarah scrambled about and began to lob water balloons at the approaching vessel.

"Where did they get water balloons?!" Mary shouted as she tried to dodge the incoming fire.

Judy and Nick glanced over at the shore where a not so innocent Ed was standing next to a water hose, several popped water balloons scattered around the yak.

"I like this camp," Nick chuckled.

"Mhmm," Judy mumbled which caught Nick's attention.

The fox glanced down and smiled as he noticed Judy's eyes flutter closed as the doe began to drift off for an afternoon nap in the warm summer sun.

Nick leaned down and rested his chin on top of the doe's head, a soft purring coming from the small bunny in his arms.

-Archery-

*Thwack*

"No way…" Nick mumbled as he looked down at the target.

*Thwack*

"Wow," Judy said, her mouth hanging open.

*Thwack*

"Dude…"Copper mumbled as her ears went up.

Arrow after arrow was released from Trisha's quiver as the doe slowly walked along the archery range. The small doe would take aim without her large feet even pausing. She would close one of her eyes and take aim, her ears going up and taking a breath before her small paw would loosen its grip around the tail of the arrow, letting it fly towards its target.

*Thwack*

"Show off!" Delta and Emily shouted together which made Trisha pause and look over her shoulder, glaring at the two chuckling canines.

"Where in the world did you learn how to do all that?!" Mark asked, putting a hoove to her cheek.

"Ancient bunny secret," Trisha said with a wink as she lowered her bow and skipped back to the benches where everyone had been watching the display.

"My turn!" Sarah shouted as she hurried over to one of the spots reserved for smaller mammals to try their paw at archery.

The small bunny grabbed an arrow and tried to line it up only for it to fall from her paws into the ground.

"Wait," Sarah said, trying to grab another arrow.

She managed to get it quivered this time but on its release, it simply fell to the ground.

"Wait," Sarah said once more, grasping another arrow in her paws.

This went on for several attempts but much to the small bunny's credit she didn't even seem frustrated as she would grab arrow after arrow and try once more.

Eventually, Trisha skipped over and helped Sarah, standing directly behind the smaller bunny and whispering tips here and there.

A look of concentration came over the small painted doe as she took aim. She released an arrow and it flew threw the air.

*Thwack*

While not exactly a bullseye the arrow had managed to hit the edge of the target.

"Did you see that?!" Sarah shouted as she began to hop in place.

"Way to go Sarah!" Judy cheered.

"Nice shot!" Nick joined in.

"You got it!" Delta added.

Atom rushed over and quickly scooped Sarah into his arms, the doe squealing with happiness as she was held close to her friend.

-Relaxation-

While the camp had a lot to offer for mammals of all shapes and sizes, there was a certain point when even sugar-crazed little ones needed a break from it all.

Fortunately for the Pumpkin Army Ed knew the perfect remedy.

He led the gang to one of the cabins that sat next to the mess hall. He used his large hoove to push the screen door open for the young ones to see inside.

"Bahahahaha!" Emily let out as she tried to hold her side. She pointed at the entrance to the cabin and then looked at Trisha and Delta who were both beat red at this point. "Go have fun you two!"

A pinecone whizzed past the vixen's head and she looked over at Trisha who was looking around for another object to lob at her friend.

"Library!" Sarah cheered as she ran inside, her ears raising straight up.

"So you two just don't like any library now?" Nick asked as he strolled by Delta who tried to shove the smug-looking tod.

"Did we miss something?" Mary asked as she watched the gang slowly trot inside.

"Something must have happened at a library," Ed said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Any two mammal bean bags in here?" Emily asked as she strolled inside the cabin filled with shelves and books.

Had she been paying attention she might have seen Trisha who was careening through the air. Emily, however, didn't notice till it was too late and soon had a bunny on her shoulders that used her small paws to cover the vixen's muzzle.

"Should have made you walk the plank while I had the chance!" Trisha barked.

It took a bit but eventually, everyone managed to calm down and broke off into their own little groups.

Ed was busy showing a map of one of the nearby towns to Copper and Delta who seemed rather intrigued with what the old yak had to say.

"Used to be an old train community. You see they would cut down the trees in the mountains and bring them down to the town to be shipped to Zootopia back when the city was young and being built," Ed explained as the two painted dogs looked at the old map.

"Must have taken a lot of trees," Delta mumbled.

"It did," Ed said with a sad sigh. "Almost cost Fairfax the loss of all their forests. But that's when the president stepped in and made it a national park in order to protect its natural beauty."

"The president did that?" Copper asked as her ears flicked.

"Well, not today's president. No this was a long time ago. President Roosevelt would visit the town often," Ed said with a smirk. "Some say he had a hidden lodge somewhere in the woods he would hide away sometimes."

"Woah," Delta and Copper said as they looked at one another and then at the old map, wondering if there were clues hidden in plain sight.

In another part of the library, Mary was sitting on an old lumpy couch. Atom and Emily sat on either side of the lovely doe who was reading aloud to the two pups.

Atom made himself comfortable and rested his head against Mary whose lips curled as she read a series of short stories that had been inspired by the camp and neighboring towns.

Down one of the many rows of books, Sarah was sprawled out on a large beanbag. The bunny was kicking her large feet back and forth as her eyes wandered over the pages of a book about dragons, knights in armor, and princesses.

Movement just down the row brought the small bunny from her back to reality as she glanced up with her brilliant pink eyes.

She beamed at Trisha who came waddling over before plopping onto the bean bag so she was curled up with Sarah.

"Whatcha find?" The multi-colored cutie asked as she nuzzled into Trisha's shoulder.

"Not sure," Trisha answered as she got comfortable and held up an old worn green bound book. A single image was on the cover. A picture of a pine tree surrounded by a shield. "It smells old though."

The bunny opened the first page and eyed the text on the paper.

"Ranger?" Sarah asked as she tilted her head, reading some of the text as well.

"Sounds cool," Trisha said, her eyes seeming to brighten as she began to read the old book.

While everyone else was busy reading or learning about days past, two other mammals had found a nice quiet spot in the library.

Judy was sitting on a couch that was hidden behind a series of shelves and stacks of books. She wasn't alone, however. Nick was sprawled out on the couch, his head resting on Judy's lap as he looked up at the comic book in his paws.

"I don't think Ed knows its even here," Nick said in an excited whisper. "Its super rare."

Judy chuckled as she watched the tod gush over the comic treasure he had found buried away in the piles of old texts.

"You think he would let me keep it?" Nick asked, his bright green eyes going up to Judy who simply beamed.

"Why don't you ask," Judy suggested as she ran a paw over one of Nick's ears.

"Think I will," Nick said as he began to flip through the pages of the comic book. "Seriously this has to be one of the coolest things."

"Really?" Judy asked as she raised a brow.

The doe's heart suddenly began to race as she looked around.

"Yeah," Nick said as he read some of the worn words on the pages. "I mean I think its the first one of the series. So it's hard to find and-"

Judy had grabbed Nick by the cheeks and tilted his head slightly. For such a small doe she had some strength to her. She leaned down and pressed her lips to Nick's nose, giving him a firm yet gentle kiss on the nose.

The young tod fell silent as a rather bemused grin crossed his muzzle.

"So is the comic still the coolest thing?" Judy asked smugly as she sat back on the couch, rather pleased with herself.

After a moment of silence, she glanced down at Nick who had his eyes closed as he let out the occasional dumb laugh. His tail swished back and forth uncontrollably as he just laid there, his head still in Judy's lap.

"I'll take that as a no," Judy said smugly as she glanced at some of the books that surrounded them.

-Campfires-

Activity after activity made the days at Camp Wewa just blow on by.

Though they were supposed to spend a week at the camp it felt like they had only arrived just a few hours before.

Sadly though it had come to a close.

Of course, Ed didn't plan to just simply end it, not without some kind of last memorable experience.

While all the other campers enjoyed a movie night in the mess hall, complete with popcorn and sweet treats, the youngins of the Pumpkin Army found themselves outside enjoying the night sky.

Right by the lake, a series of smoothed logs and rocks had been placed so they encircled an old fire pit.

The gang had gathered round as a fire roared in between the makeshift seats.

Mary passed around a series of smoothed and pointy sticks.

"What are we doing?" Sarah asked from her spot between Copper and Trisha, the multi-colored bunny having snuggled up to her pumpkin queen.

"Smoe's," Trisha said excitedly as she examined her stick.

"Whats a smoe?" Copper asked.

"Yeah who is Smoe?" Sarah added as she looked from the painted dog and then back at Trisha.

"You have never had a Smoe?!" Trisha nearly shouted.

On the other side of the firepit Judy giggled at her friend's antics as she rested against Nick.

"She yells alot doesnt she?" Nick asked before reaching out and taking two sticks from Mary before holding one towards Judy.

"She just has a lot of passion is all," Judy chuckled as she looked up at Nick.

"So uh….what is a smoe?" Nick asked in a hushed whisper.

"You have never had a Smoe?!" Judy asked in surprise, mimicking her bubbly brown friend.

Trisha's ears shot up and she looked across the flames at Judy who had an equally shocked look.

"Delta!" Trisha said as she stood up on her log and looked over at a rock where Delta and Atom were busy rummaging through a brown paper bag Mary had brought with the smore supplies.

Delta's circular ears twitched and he looked up suddenly, "We were gonna share promise!"

The painted pup realized however he hadn't been caught by Mary but it had been his bunny wanting his attention. A pair of brown eyes looked over at the doe who put a paw on her hip.

"They don't know how to make smoes," Trisha said as she waved her stick about. "Show them how it is done!"

Delta's tail flicked back and forth and he suddenly stood up and cleared his throat.

"Oh this is gonna be good," Mary mumbled as she took a spot next to Ed who looked over at the young painted dog with some intrigue.

"Step one," Delta began as he held up his stick for all to see, "You take yo smoe stick and put a marshmallow at the end."

Delta held his paw out to the side and waited. Seconds went by and Delta's tail stopped wagging as he looked over his shoulder at Atom.

"I said put a marshmallow at the end," Delta repeated.

Atom, however, had his head buried in the brown paper bag, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Oi! Marshmallow!" Delta barked.

Atom pulled his head from the bag, his cheeks were puffed out and the reason was clear as a marshmallow popped out, having no room inside the painted pups muzzle thanks to the liberal amounts of marshmallows already inside.

"And that is why I brought two bags," Mary whispered to Ed who was laughing at the funny sight before him.

Atom dug his arm back into the bag and produced a single marshmallow and held it so Delta could reach out and grab it. As delta did however Atom quickly opened his mouth and stuffed the puffy treat into his open muzzle.

"I am trying to teach a smoe class here," Delta said as he waved his paws at the other campers who were laughing at the two painted dog's hijinks.

Delta finally managed to grab a marshmallow from Atom. He skewered the white puff of sweetness and held it over the flames.

"Now you can either turn it round and round to make it an even golden brown," Delta began.

"Prefer dark brown," Trisha chuckled.

"Yeah!" Sarah chimed in.

"Or," Delta began before plunging the marshmallow into the flames. It raised it and showed everyone around the campfire the now burning marshmallow. The painted dog brought the flame close to his muzzle and blew it out. A trail of smoke rose from the now burned treat.

"Ew," Emily mumbled as she strolled over and grabbed her own marshmallow.

"Ew?!" Delta asked in shock. "That is perfectly cooked."

"Its burned," Emily pointed out as she raised her own marshmallow over the flames. After a few seconds, the vixen raised a perfectly golden brown marshmallow for all to see. "Now this is a smoe."

"So it's just a toasted marshmallow?" Nick asked as he tilted his head.

"It's not done yet cuz," Emily said happily as she turned to Atom and held out her paw.

Atom beamed at Emily before placing two pieces of graham cracker in her paw.

"Thanks, Atom," Emily said sweetly before placing her now toasted marshmallow on the crackers, smooshing between the graham before raising it above her head. "The perfect smoe."

"You mean mine is," Delta said as he raised his paw out towards Atom, expecting some crackers to be placed in his paw. Instead, they smacked him against the head, causing the painted dog to look over at his grinning friend.

It took a few attempts but soon everyone had managed to pretty much master the art of making the perfect smoe.

As the night carried on the young campers sat back and enjoyed the feeling of full stomachs and a warm fire.

"So same time next year?" Trisha asked as she looked around at her fellow tired campers.

"I am game," Copper said with a smile.

"Same," Emily said with a happy sigh.

"Come back here you-" Delta could be heard as he chased Atom around in the darkness behind the logs, the other painted dog having stolen one of Delta's smoes.

"You dudes are always welcomed," Ed said with a chuckle as he looked at the stars.

"Can't wait," Judy whispered softly. The bunny had her eyes closed and was enjoying the warmth from both Nick and the fire. The bunny grabbing tufts of the tod's shirt as she curled up against him.

After a few moments of silence, Mary finally spoke up, "So anyone know some good campfire songs?"

Emily and Trisha looked at one another with a pair of smiles.

As the smoke from the fire rose into the brilliantly blue night sky the campers settled in, singing songs, eating hot smoes, and laughing as Delta chased after Atom who continued to stuff marshmallows into his mouth.

Judy's ears flicked slightly as she dozed on Nick, breathing in his scent mixed with the campfire. Her tail would flick occasionally as she felt a pair of young fox paws hold her close.

"Can't wait for next summer," Nick whispered to the doe whose lips curled into a pleased smile.

* * *

 **Hey there Campers.**

 **So first off, sorry for the huge delay on this one. Life has been kinda busy for me as of late and also finding the drive to write has eluded me a little bit.**

 **Glad we could finally get this summer chapter done, and it's only just now fall :P**

 **I am going to try and get the Halloween chapter going ASAP because let's face it, need to write that because its where it all started right?**

 **I hope you enjoyed the fluff-filled summer mini-series.**

 **Till next time.**

 **Cya in Manta Bay!**

 **-Blue**


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